Another Romance
by Rose Melissa Ivashkov
Summary: There is so much more Rose could do than waste away her life waiting for Prince Charming. But in the end, all that waiting finally paid off because fate brought her what she had unknowingly been seeking for, her Prince Charming, in the form of Adrian Ivashkov.
1. Living Like No Other

**ATTENTION: Story is going to be off FF for a while due to editing. And the great plagiarism plague that is going around. Please bear with me. I am doing my best here.**

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Yeah! I had done it! Another plus that I did have awesome ninja skills. I had just gone by the hall matron without getting unnoticed. Yay! Go me! I just couldn't sleep. There always was something about nature that helped me calm down. Just something about it. Maybe it was the fact that I could run around freely, and there were no rules to nature or problems. And that was where I was heading to right now. To the forest…

Well, whatever _it _was, it was something. Something calming. Something that always helped me calm down, something about it that when I came close to nature, it made my heart quicken and my breath halt a little. _Breathe. Just Breathe. _I mentally told myself as worried over trials in the spring. It seemed silly, yeah, to worry about trials in spring because I would worry over some other things, that were much more worse than this worry, in the future.

It was raining today. I should be inside instead of outside. But I wasn't. I needed to be here. God, I was difficult. Not even I could handle myself.

A couple of hours later, I started heading back. It was getting dark and classes were about to start. Alberta would be a hell-hound if I got to practice late again. I quickly quickened my paced to get out of the forest faster, and, to my distaste, I ran into Eddie.

"Rose!" Eddie Castile said, holding my hand so that I wouldn't stumble over. Eddie was Mason's best friend, therefore, Eddie was my best friend, since Mason and I were the best of friends.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Alberta wanted me to find you. She wants to see you in her office." I nodded.

"Well, okay. That's taken care of…got to go!" Eddie said, walking—no wait, flying, it seemed, away.

I laughed. I loved that kid to death. Now, off to see Alberta. I took my decent time as I walked to her office. Usually she was really pissed that I never showed up on time to our morning practices. Wonder what was up with her today? It couldn't be bad, could it? Or was it something good like no more morning practices or something good like that?

I stopped pondering what she could have been up to when I saw the guardian offices up ahead. Only great guardians had offices. As you all know, Alberta was like the only greatest guardian here. I knocked on the door and a guardian I had never seen before opened the door. "Go on in," she said, nodding toward Alberta's door. "She is waiting for you."

I nodded. Trying to be polite and courteous, I said, "Thank you." I walked to the door and entered.

Alberta was looking over some papers when I walked in. "Rose, have a seat." I hadn't even made a noise. How the hell do they know when someone is near? They must be awesome ninja-like people. I should ask about their secrets one day…For now, though, I had to focus on what she had to say to me. Hopefully, it wasn't something bad.

"Guardian Petrov," I said, addressing her with the name she had worked most of her life for. "They told me to come. Is there something wrong? Did I do anything wrong to upset you? Did I do something bad?" I could ask her all these questions because she was not only my trainer but my mentor ever since I was of age to take advice, and that was age ten.

"You have done nothing; I just simply need to have a word with you." She stood up and started out the window. "I am sorry I wasn't at morning practice today." Why wouldn't she get to the point?

"Don't worry about it, Guardian Petrov. Just tell me what is discomforting your mind." I was getting impatient. Why was she being all secretive?

"Well the reason I called you in here was that I am not going to be your mentor anymore, Rose." Her look was faraway. "I am too busy with guardian duties. I just wanted you to have someone better, someone who can give you more of their time. Because, Rose, you have to grow up to be one of the best. And I trust your new mentor can achieve that."

"When will he or she be here?" I asked. Damn! I had lost the coolest trainer and mentor in the whole world! Why? I was probably going to get one of those guardians that thought they were the best, most greatest person alive and the truth was that they sucked and they were just too prideful to admit it. I hoped I didn't get one of those losers.

"Later on." I nodded, getting a little worried. Alberta came to me, put an arm on my shoulder, and spoke. "Don't worry, Rose. I told Kirova you needed the best, and I am sure, she called in the best." I nodded again. Years and years of knowing her, I knew that she wanted me to leave. I stood up and started walking towards the door. Before I walked out, she called out to me. "Good luck, Ms. Hathaway."

I walked down the academy again. I could see novices coming out of the dhampir dorms so that meant it was time for the whole academy to be awake. I was bummed—Alberta, the person who seemed more motherly than the mother I had, was not going to be my mentor anymore. Damn. What could I do, though?

"There is my favorite person in the whole world," someone sang out.

I plastered a fake smile on my face. When it came to these two, I rather eat glass than face them. "Well, hello, Jesse. I saw that beautiful bruise my fist left hasn't faded." I said, smirking at him. Three days ago, Jesse and his horrifyingly ugly sidekick, Ralf, had annoyed the shit out of me, so, like the impulsive person I was, I punched the first person my fist could make contact with. To my joy, it had been Jesse. In public, Alberta had chastised me, but in private, she had congratulated me. That was one of the many reasons I was going to miss her.

Jesse just glared at me. Ralf was too busy staring off into space to say anything. I smiled at him once more and started walking off to find Mase, my crazy buddy. Speaking of the devil, he was right around the corner. My face formed a smile on its own; that was how much I loved Mase. "Rosie-Posies, why does your beautiful face always make a smile form on my face?"

"Uh, I don't know. Maybe because it isn't as ugly as yours." I laughed and he gave me a look of salt, a mean look.

"Ugh! Shit! I think I just saw the devil! Oh, no wait! It was Rose!" Eddie said, joining our group of two.

"Hahaha…" I looked at him in the face, with a serious fake. "Are you sure you weren't looking in the mirror? Because your ugly face is sure to confuse someone that you are the devil. Yes, Eddie you are that ugly." I gave him a pitying look. Mason laughed. "And I wouldn't laugh, Mason, you aren't that pretty either."

"Now, who is the one laughing?" Eddie threw at Mason's face. I rolled my eyes and waited for Lissa, who always met us here.

Someone put their hands over my eyes, and keeping in mind how delicate their hands were, I had a clue of who it was. "Guess who?" she said, trying to make her voice deeper, which came out all wrong.

"Let me guess, Hillary Duff?"

"Ew! No!" She said, slapping my arm and uncovering my eyes. "Rose!" She gave me a huge hug, which I returned. "Lissa!" Today was when all of us started school again. And it was Monday so it was not my day. And it was particularly why Alberta had decided to get me a new mentor today. Lissa, Eddie, Mason, and I were very excited that it was our Senior Year this year! _Rose, have mercy on this school._ I think the academy would be happy when I left. I think the whole world would be happy when I died.

"I am soo excited! Are you? Finally our Senior Year! Oh, God. I have waited for forever for this year to come! I can't believe it's finally here!" Lissa gushed on.

"I know, Lissa!" No of us, well her and I, couldn't contain our excitement. We should celebrate! Party at my crib…Anyway, I had better matters, though. Who the hell was going to be my new mentor? I should just focus on the moment and not on that. This was it! We were here! Our Senior Year! One more year and we would be out! And Lissa and I would be traveling the world together! No, wait, let me rephrase that. Hopefully Lissa and I would be traveling the world together.

"Did you get your schedule?" Lissa asked, reaching into her black Channel purse and pulling out a white, small piece of paper and handing it to me.

_Period 1: Calculus_

_Period 2: Basic Gym_

_Period 3: Moroi Culture_

_Period 4: Advanced Language Arts_

_-Lunch-_

_Period 5: Animal Behavior and Physiology_

_Period 6: Foreign Language: Russian 4_

_Period 7: Slavic Art_

_Period 8: Study Hall_

"Period five and eight are the only ones we share."

She nodded, happy that we even shared classes at all. Usually, they tried separating us. Me alone was hell, but Lissa and I together, well that was…you get the picture. Lissa and I had been best friends ever since kindergarten. Ever since that day, when our teacher put us together, we have been inseparable. A few years back, I died and Lissa brought me back. I don't know how the hell she had done that, but she had. And I was glad. Her parents had also requested me as Lissa's guardian so I knew I was going to get her. Some time ago, we had discovered what her element was. Spirit. People knew so rarely about it that sometimes all of us had a lot of trouble understanding it. So, we tried to cope with it as cool as we could. Recently, she had discovered a spirit user. I had no clue who the hell he was; she had yet to tell me about that conversation. "Two periods are good enough for me!"

I smiled at my weirdo. "Oh, Rose! After school is over, can you come over to my dorm. We need some girl time! And when we do, why not do makeovers for both of us!" Makeover Month…it always happened every year, every time we entered a new grade level. The bell rang and all of us rushed to our classes. I was more eager for the day to be over because then I could see my new mentor faster.

"How did it go?" Lissa asked, as soon as school was over.

"It was great!" And it was. I had seen all my friends, and I had made new friends. There was a dude named Erick, who was as cool as ice on a summer day. He, like I, was a dhampir. And from pairing up with him earlier in class, I knew he was good. He was the only one that could take me. And he didn't hold back like some other people did when fighting with me. "How about you? Did you make any new friends?" I swear, I sounded like a mom and not like a teenager.

"Yes! There was a really cute guy staring at me the whole time class was in session. Do you think it was a coincidence that he has all the same classes as I do?"

"I don't know, Liss; maybe it just Karma bringing you together. What's his name?"

"Andy Conta! He is so cute, Rose! You have to meet him!" Just then, I swear Lissa looked about to pass out when it happened, a cute guy with blonde hair and blue eyes passed us. He waved and smiled at Lissa and winked at me. Oh, no. I knew those type of guys, the ones who were really sexy and got any girl he wanted. Bad choice on Lissa's part.

"That's him?" I asked, staring off to where he had disappeared. Honestly, I had seen sexier guys.

"Yes! He is cute, huh?"

I made a face. "Lissa, please don't go after him. _Trouble_…my guy radar read that when he walked by." She sighed and nodded. I pointed a kid about our age who was staring at us. He was dressed in all black and he had icy blue eyes. "You should go for someone like him." I said.

Lissa, did a double take when she saw him. She didn't say anything, though. As soon as she turned away, he stared longingly at her. What was up with that? Lissa shook her head, shaking herself in the process. "So, Rose! Ready for our girl night because I so am!"

Lissa came up to my room with me and I gathered my pajamas and a bag of bathroom materials and then I followed her to her room. We watched a couple of movies before doing anything. After that, she started painting my nails and did some weird hair style on my hair. And then it was my turn to do it to her. When we were done, she and I both fell asleep. We had to share a bed. I really couldn't sleep, though. I was too busy wondering who the hell my new mentor was. Eventually, though, my tiredness won out and I fell asleep.


	2. New Mentor

ATTENTION: Story is going to be off FF for a while due to editing. And the great plagiarism plague that is going around. Please bear with me. I am doing my best here.

I slipped as quietly as possible so I would not wake the sleeping Lissa. Kirova had demanded that I see her as soon as I could. Why was everyone bothering me lately? However, I had to admit that I was really excited as to who I was going to get as a mentor. The nerves were starting to kick in as well. I wondered why. The only thing I asked God for was that the person was not as evil and careless as my mother was. Moreover, my mother was definitely something that had been specially created from hell. Sometimes, people called her the _killing machine. _Yes, she was that good. I wished that she _was that good, _too, as a mother. But, hey, we cannot have what we want. Everyone should have known this. I knew this.

The ground was sticky with ice. I had to focus on not falling. It was not that difficult of a task. In less than ten minutes, I was standing in Kirova's office. The receptionist said I could walk in, that Kirova was not busy. And so, I did. I walked right in like I owned the place. (Okay, not that dramatic.)

Headmistress Kirova snapped her head up at the sound of my entrance. "I am here; let's get down to business, Headmistress." I always liked to keep the mood light between her and me. I did not want her to always hate me.

"Rose, nice of you to join me." She said, putting her papers aside. She smiled, very happy that I was in here, in her office. For some reason, that was unbeknownst by me, everyone loved me. "Rose I called you in because I wanted you to let you know that your mentor is here. He wants you to keep the same schedule you have been having with Alberta. So, you have to keep on going to morning practices."

I nodded, chewing on my lip. I had been hoping that morning practices would be the first thing he canceled. I had been so happy that there would be no more morning practices, and then, they come up with this! That was a sign…a sign that said that my new mentor was just as crazy and evil as my mother and not fun like Alberta had been.

I was starting to get a little more worried. Why was life so hard? Kirova patted my hand when she noticed my anxious expression. "Don't worry, Rose. You are the best, and for that, we had to call in the best. I know you can do this. And I trust that you can make Alberta proud."

"Your wishes will be redeemed." I finally said. Years of knowing her, I knew that was the end of the conversation. She excused me with a, "You are free to go." As soon as that was said, I left the room.

I really wasn't paying attention to what I was doing when I got out of Kirova's office. So, it wasn't till I ran into him that I noticed a big, tan guy standing there. Oh, God, was he sexy. But the words that came out of his mouth made him seem less sexier.

"Watch where you are going," he said, his voice laced with a Russian accent. He was a dhampir. He was tall, brown haired, brow eyed, but most important, he was sexy, a sexy that was beyond plain, regular sexy. He made me breathless, he made me warm, he made my head spin. From the looks of him, he looked no older than his twenties. I had a sudden urge to just fall on my knees and start to worship him. He was like a god. A Russian god. And maybe soon, my Russian god. Yum…

I didn't say anything to comment on what he had said. Nor did I plan to say anything. Plus, he wasn't paying attention to me, or anything in particular. It was as if he were still trying to find his way around. Russians these days. I knew enough to conclude that he was a new guardian. Then, with horror, I realized that he was my new mentor! Oh, hell! This was purely hell! I thought the ground had stopped shaking, but when this happened, I knew it hadn't.

I kept on walking. Around the corner, I could spot Eddie and Mason, all talking in one group. They were talking to someone, and it was until I came closer that I noticed who it was. A smile spread on my face as I noticed. Lissa, my best friend.

"Rose!" She said, throwing her arms around me. "How did it go with Kirova?"

"Great…And hey, I just saw my new mentor." My voice defiantly could have sounded more excited. But I could not be more excited. Having someone as hot as I was going have, made life a lot more difficult for me.

"Cool! What's his name?" Lissa asked, getting excited over the fact the she was going to meet someone new.

"I don't know, hence why I don't call him by name." Lissa started laughing when that sentence came out of my mouth. "Don't worry; I will find out soon enough—"

"Rose!" Good God, Rose everywhere. To my joy, it was Alberta. Just the person I needed to talk to. She would guide me to my new mentor.

"Guardian Petrov?"

"Rose, come. Follow me. I want you to meet Guardian Belikov in my office."

_Guardian Belikov…_that seemed like a normal, Russian name. It was sexy, just as he was. I imagined myself, one day, with him. God, was I that hormonal, to think about some future with a guy that was older than me and who I just barely knew? If anybody I knew found out about this, these thoughts, they would definitely call me a freak. I shuddered at the scene I would cause if they found out.

It was him. Yes, it was him. As soon as Alberta opened her door, I saw him. He was my new mentor! I swear, I wanted to melt.

"Rose, this is Guardian Belikov." I don't think he noticed me when had seen each other out in the hallway.

"Nice to meet you, Guardian Belikov." I said, trying to be polite. He replied to my greeting with a nod of his head. So much for manners. I learned—or observed, that he was not the most outgoing person. He was not really social, either. I could tell all this by a look. I should have not been quick to judge. After all, you can't judge a book by its cover.

In the meantime, Alberta was speaking. "Rose, you have the rest of the day off to get to know your mentor better. And he wants you to get used to his methods of fighting."

I nodded, agreeing to all this. The whole day with him would be bad. I just knew it. "Thank you, Guardian Petrov."

"You two are excused." Guardian Belikov started walking ahead of me. He didn't tell me to follow. He knew and I _knew _that I had to follow him.

It was an awkward silence as we walked. Soon, we arrived at the gym. He pulled a chair and motioned for me to sit down. "First off, tell me about yourself."

"First, my name is Rose Hathaway." I was going to continue but he interrupted.

"Daughter of Janine Hathaway?" He asked, his brown eyes getting more focused now.

"The last name says it all, but we are not talking about my mother. It's _Rose _time now." I took a breath and he nodded. "I am seventeen years old, and that pretty much sums it up." It was sad, really. That was all I had to tell him. Other things about me, were probably something he was not familiar with. And I didn't want him to get the wrong impression of me.

He nodded again. "All you need to know about me is my name, which is Dimitri Belikov." Jeez, talk about rude. "Now, let me ask you some questions of your previous training."

"Go ahead," I said, wondering what he could possibly want to know.

"Were you using the A-technique or the B-technique?" I had no idea what he was talking about, much less if I had done them. My guess was that I had never done this in my life. Alberta never used terms like those; she straight up told me what we were practicing. I should have known that this mentor/novice pairing would be bad.

"You know, I have no idea of what you just said. Can you please repeat what you said?" I sounded like a fool right now. But what the hell? How were you supposed to learn, if there were no questions involved to learn from.

I swear, a miracle occurred before me. Dimitri smiled! Oh…my…God! He smiled! I felt like dying.

"I can't really explain them. I'll show you how they work, though." Dimitri said, motioning me to go stand next to him. "Ready?" I was too slow to nod because he was already attacking. I tried to block all his blows but failed completely. It was stupid to try and block all his hits. I felt like a child who tried to block hits from an older child.

After some hours of being fascinated, he let me go to eat dinner. But before I left, he spoke. "Remember, morning, afternoon, evening and weekends practice is running with me." SHIT! Advantages of having a sexy mentor: None. Disadvantages of having a sexy mentor: Where should I start listing?

I was so sore. I could barely walk straight. Something in my soul hummed that tomorrow's practice would be worse. I ate dinner, alone, and then went to my room and fell asleep.

**Will UD soon! 6/4/2012**


	3. Rough Training

When I woke up, I felt like all my bones were going to crack at any second. Scratch that, I felt like jelly. I couldn't walk right. I hoped that on my way to the gym I didn't melt into the sidewalk or something like that.

I took a good look at myself in the mirror. Ever since I started training with Dimitri. I was getting withered and old. Well, not exactly like that, but you get the picture.

The sun wasn't shining today. And it wasn't odd because it was winter here in Montana. The sky was too gloomy, though. I walked faster and made it into the gym in no time. When I arrived, I noticed that Dimitri wasn't his same usual self, well, he was, but he was even more quieter than usual, and there was a worried expression on his face.

"Morning, Comrade? Why such a gloomy mood? You almost remind me of the sky. Both gloomy." I started doing some stretches. Stretches were the thing I was supposed to do every time I wanted to do some major exercise, according to Dimitri.

He didn't say anything. I swear it was like I had spoken to the wall and not him. I decided not to say anything. If he was just going to ignore me, then why did say anything at all? Our silence lasted all throughout our training. I mean, my training because he wasn't even participating in training me. At the end of training, though, he did speak.

"Rose," he called out to me, while I gathered all my things to leave.

I turned around, stopping to gather my stuff so that I could look at him. "Yes?"

"I won't be here tomorrow. Alberta wants me to go with her to Missoula."

"Why?" Dimitri was one of the best guardians so it seemed that he would be selected to go.

He gave me a twitch of his lips—I referred to those as smiles, versions of smiles. "Alberta…"he said. He said it like some kind of answer.

I nodded. And went out the door to get ready for classes.

The next day, Lissa was excited. The reason was, she had found another Spirit user.

"Rose! Rose! Guess what?!" Lissa gushed, running to me, that morning.

I caught her before she ran into a bush, or worse, the wall behind the bush. "Liss! What is it?"

She took a deep breath. "Well, I was doing my research and guess what?"

"What, Lissa?"

"I found another Spirit User!" She sang. Jeez, was it that big of a deal?

"Really? That's great, Lissa!"

"I know!" She said, throwing her arms around me. "And that's not it! He is coming here!"

Could this get any better? Damn, I should watch it with the sarcasm. "Really, Lissa. That's great. When is he arriving?"

Her face went from a smile to a frown in a second. "That's the sad part. I don't know." She looked really sad. I wished I could comfort her, tell her that he was going to be here soon, but I couldn't. I mean, Moroi, sometimes were very unexpected. In other words, you shouldn't trust their word.

I gave Lissa a one-arm hug. "Lissa, he'll be here soon." I didn't know how I knew that, but I knew. There was just something telling that he was going to be here soon.

She nodded. "Rose! And guess what else?" This time, her excitement through the bond made me want to explode. There was a whole lot of emotion humming from her. It was a wonder I didn't explode in that second. And talking seriously, it would be kind of wrong to just explode.

"What, Lissa?" More strong emotions from her side of the bond. I really hoped I didn't explode.

"Remember that cute guy I showed you the other day?" I swear, she was so excited that she wasn't far off from bouncing.

"Andy?" Every girl I spoke to said he was the sexiest thing alive. I would have agreed, but I knew someone sexier.

"Yes, him!"

"What about him?"

"He asked me out! Can you believe it?"

"Uh, sure I can, Lissa…" It got kind of awkward. Lissa always brought up the weirdest subjects. It was kind of hard to keep up with her. Blondes…these days. I thanked God I wasn't a blonde. Not that I had anything against them or anything like that—it was just that sometimes you really didn't understand them.

Beside the Lissa detail, I really didn't like Andy for Lissa. He just seemed one of those guys that was good to your face. But behind your back he showed his true assholeness. Wait, is that even a word? Whatever. If it wasn't a word, it would be my new word in my Rose Hathaway dictionary.

I grabbed Lissa's arm. "Be careful, Lissa. I don't want to see you break over someone like him."

Some tears started slipping from Lissa's face. "Aw…Rose…I didn't know you cared so much."

I made a face. "Okay…" I said, freeing myself from the hug she had put me in. God, Lissa was so embarrassing at times. But hey, what could we do? After all, she was my best friend. I told her good bye because I had to go off to practice.

I wondered if there was going to be practice today? Since Dimitri was gone, who would replace his absence. I hoped it wasn't someone as shitty as that one guardian…what was his name? Landon? London? Something like that. He was one of the weirdest guardians in this whole academy, in this whole world. I just hoped it wasn't him.

I was surprised when I entered the gym. Dimitri was sitting in a chair and waiting for me.

"Rose," he said, as soon as he saw me come in the room.

"Yeah, Comrade?" As usual, he gave me the irritated look that said that the name had bothered him. "I thought you weren't going to be here, Comrade."

"Alberta had to cancel the meeting." He said, and I could see real sadness in his eyes. But it flashed away in three seconds.

"Why in the world would she do that?" I knew how much Alberta loved those Guardian meetings. Alberta had not been my mentor for nothing.

"Strigoi." Dimitri said. I knew he would worry over Strigoi. But that wasn't the only thing that was bothering him.

"I know its none of my business…but what is bothering you, Dimitri? Spill it all out." And, for once, Dimitri listened.

"What the hell?" I asked, when Dimitri finished his story. This was beyond what I expected he would tell me. Out off all these people, _he _would tell me this? So…so random. "She dreamed that?"

Dimitri had told me all about his life, well not everything about it, but his other life. His mother was named Olena. He had three sisters, whose name were Sonya, Viktoria, and Karolina. They all lived in a small house in Russia. Baia, Russia. And he also had told me about this grandmother, who was a Dreamer. A Dreamer was, in our world, a person who could see things that would happen in the future in dreams. And recently, the last dream his grandmother had had, was of him falling in love…

He sighed; he let out his breath. "Alright, I trust you; I will let you know what's wrong with me." I started to get happy. He trusted me! Only so few people trusted me! And he was one of them.

"What is it?" I asked. "Rose, my grandma is a dreamer." He must of noticed my _what the hell_ look because he explained what a dreamer was.

"She sees things that might happen in the future in her dreams."

"Okay," I said, hoping he would continue. "And?" That was his problem.

"And, she saw me falling in love with the evil, a Strigoi."

"Whoa, that is—that is bad!" I was dumbfounded. What if something did happen to Dimitri? It would be bad. I had already gotten used to him! I would die if anything happened. I had to promise him something. I had to.

I took his hand in mine. "I will make you a promise, Dimitri."

He looked up, shocked I would even say that. Usually I was so heartless.

"I promise you that if anything ever happens to you, or that you get Strigoi, I will help you find the peace you deserve. It's my blood promise."

Instead of laughing he looked deeply into my eyes. "And I promise you the same thing, Rose."

I felt a hum in her soul as I walked out of practice that day. I clicked on her iPod and words from a song started playing. The song made me think about what would happen if this actually happened to Dimitri.

I was horrified at the thought of him leaving me, or dying. And that's when I realized that I had feelings for Dimitri. I was in love with Dimitri.


	4. Pitiful Love

_**Disclaimer: I don't anything from Vampire Academy, just the characters I have created and the plot.**_

I was feeling pretty damn fine the next day…until, of course, my best friend to ruin it. Lissa slammed into me as she came running around the corner. There was a stricken-like expression to her face. I could feel nothing from the bond. I couldn't know what was wrong with her until she say it with her mouth. Until then, I had to wait.

"Rose!" Tears started crawling out of her eyes as soon as she saw me. She threw her arms around me and I hugged her in a comforting gesture.

"Liss! What's wrong?! Tell me what happened?" Usually when Lissa acted like this, something really bad had happened to her. If something had happened, I needed to take matters into my own hands. And poor person who caused her to be like this, all sad and upset. Poor, poor person, indeed. After all, I was her guardian, and this is what I did. I protected her.

She sobbed a little. "You were right, Rose! You were always right!" She began crying into my arms and I just held her. Although I was itching to know what the hell was wrong, I let her cry there.

Finally, I let go of her and asked the question I was itching to ask. "What's wrong, Lissa?"

She wiped a tear away. "You were right about him. You were right about Andy."

I knew it! I had like this built-in detector when it came to guys. I used to always get a bad feeling whenever they guys would be something you wouldn't want to mess around with. For now, though, I had to focus on Lissa, not on my thoughts. "What did he do to you?"

That question brought a whole round of tears again. And again, I hugged her. Finally, sometime later, Lissa told me what had happened to her.

"Andy. Last Night, after our date, he said if I would go to his room. And then he started getting all aggressive one me. He started, you know, and then he wanted to rape me, Rose. He wanted to rape me! But I kicked him in the, you know where, and I ran away." She scooted closer to me. "I wanted to tell you earlier, but I couldn't find you!"

"It's okay, Lissa. That cum-dumpster will get what he deserves!" I was so pissed…I was so livid. I wanted to murder that Andy Conta…I wanted to make him suffer for hurting my Lissa. As it was, he was going to get what he deserved. I devilish smile formed on my face as I imagined him under my arms, choking the life out of him. "Lissa, I need to do something for Guardian Belikov…do you mind if I left you alone for a while?"

She nodded. And I left to do my thing, all the while, the devilish smile stayed.

_**Lissa's POV **_

She wiped another tear as she watched Rose leave. Rose had always been the best liar ever, but now Lissa saw through her. Lissa knew that Rose wasn't off to do something for Guardian Belikov as she had said, but to go do something that troubled Andy Conta. Lissa wanted to stop her, but was tempted more by the thought of Andy getting hammered by Rose. Lissa didn't stop Rose.

What she did, was go to the church attic. She had not been there for about two years. Her parents had died not so long ago…and that used to be her escaping place. She wasn't sure if that place was still there. It had been a while she had gone there.

She made sure no one noticed her as she entered the church. Father Andrew was nowhere in sight. Lissa didn't want to get busted so she entered as quietly as possible. As soon as she saw that window seat she loved so much, she began sobbing, sobbing so hard probably the whole academy heard. Crying was one of Lissa's techniques to get rid of the pain. Other technique was a dangerous one…but it got rid of the pain, nonetheless.

As she cried, she thought back to those wonderful years. The years where her parents would take care of everything. The years where her older brother would take care of her, when her parents couldn't. It was something she longed for so, so much. She couldn't live in this world anymore. She couldn't take so much pain anymore. She had to do something. And the only option Lissa saw was death.

Out of nowhere, she began crying again, louder this time. And, out of nowhere as well, a hand started stroking her hair.

Scared that it might be Andy, she huddled closer into the window. The hand stopped and a voice that didn't belong to Andy, spoke. "I am sorry. Didn't mean to scare you."

Maybe it was the tear-blurred eyes because Lissa had to wipe her eyes several of times to finally see the—or to register the person who was standing in front of her. It was that kid that always stared at her in class. What was his name?! What was his name?! Black, glossy hair…dark lashes…icy-blue eyes…

He spoke again. And Lissa got mesmerized with the sound of it. She had never heard anything more beautiful coming out of a guy's mouth. It made her bones chill…and her skin melt. "It's none of my business, I know. But are you alright?"

With her, she observed, that he didn't act the same way as he did with other people—or peers. He sounded gentle and looked very mellow. A funny feeling started in Lissa's stomach. She got this wrong, sudden urge to just go into his arms and let him comfort her. As if reading her mind, he did wrap one arm around her. It was only as a friendly act, but it still made Lissa want to melt.

"Are you okay?" He asked, yet again.

Lissa stared at his beautiful lips and then met his eyes. " I am now…" Why had she said that?

She looked into his eyes again. She knew that he was not using compulsion because a greater compulsion canceled out a lower compulsion. And hers was the best compulsion out there.

"Tell me what's wrong?" The angel asked.

"Andy Conta tried to rape me."

The angel, angel no longer…He stood up and started mumbling a crap load of crap. Lissa had never heard an angel speak like that. "I am going to get that bastard and burn him!" That was all Lissa heard from him.

He started walking to the door. But just then, his name came to Lissa's lips. _Christian. _That was defiantly the name of an angel. A beautiful Angel. "Christian!" She called out.

Christian was astounded. He was shocked because this beautiful green-eyed Goddess had called out his name. As if under a spell he turned back to her. "Yes, my beauty?"

"Where are you going? I need you." Lissa didn't seem ashamed at all to say those words. They sort of magically clicked.

"I need to take care of some business." He said simply and started walking back to his green-eyed Goddess.

He leaned down and whispered his lips against his Lissa's. And she let him. But after that, he fleeted away.

_**Rose's POV**_

Andy still thought I was fooling around? What good liar was I! He still thought that I was going to go to his room to do some action! Yes, we would do action…but it would be my kind of action! Poor, poor boy! Everyone is a fool for Rose Hathaway, me. After today, Andy will never be tempted to do those horrible things to people!

"Baby, I'll show you what I got…" Andy said. I could have paid no more attention.

"I bet you will." We reached his room and I felt like someone was following me. But whatever, we were in Andy's room.

As soon as I closed the door, I pounced on him. His eyes widened in happiness…good thing it would only last for a second. "Why did you do that to Lissa?!" I asked, taking a hold of his neck with my two hands.

He was scared as soon as I pounced on him. But I couldn't finish my job. Another set of hands took over my job. Oh…my…god! It was the fire boy! Christian Ozera!

I let him take my spot eagerly. Hopefully he would light Andy on fire! I made my way to where Lissa was in a happy mood, but not after I punched and kicked Andy a few good times. Boy was I evil! Lissa looked way different from the last time I had seen her. She looked happier and more at peace. As she heard me enter, she looked my way.

"There you are. I was starting to get worried over you." Lissa said, standing up from the window seat and giving me a hug on the cheek.

"Well, I am here." I was impatient as to what had Christian done to Andy. God…this stuff made me so eager!

"Rose?" Lissa asked.

"Huh?"

"I think I have fallen into a pitiful love…"

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	5. Dirty Rumors

_**Disclaimer: I don't anything from Vampire Academy, just the characters I have created and the plot.**_

Pitiful love…it screamed in my mind as I walked from practice to where Lissa was at that morning. What could have Lissa meant about that? I discovered what it was as soon as I rounded the corner. From the bond, I knew she was in the attic above the church. What was in that attic that she loved? A dusty, old picture of her parents or something like that? I would never know until I found out or she told me.

"Rose! Rose! Wait up!" I turned around and waited for Eddie and Mason to catch up with me. I could see Eddie's girlfriend tucked under his arm. They looked really cute together but sometimes she was a real bitch. Mia Rinaldi had blonde hair and blue eyes; sometimes people confused her to be younger than she really was. The problem was that she looked like a Barbie doll.

"Hey, Ed, Mase, and Mia." They said their hellos and we continued walking. "What's up?"

It was Mason who answered. Like me, Mason was single. We'd rather party and be cool than have people decrease our interest in partying. Several times Lissa had tried to make me date Mason. But Mason was more friend material to me than boyfriend material. Yeah, he was crazy about me, but I had better guys in mind.

"Rosie boo? Guess what?" Mason asked.

I gave him a look of irritation. I hated when he made up names for me and I hated most when he called me those damn names! "What?" I asked, my mood ruined by the name calling. He needed to grow up.

"I just finished talking with Alberta." Like me, Mason and I used to have the same mentor, unlike me, Alberta still mentors him.

"Yeah? What did she say?"

"You are going to love it!" He seemed really excited. Maybe he needed a girlfriend to share the excitement with. "We are going to that Ski Lodge you have always wanted to go to!"

That sure captured my interest. All the years that the academy took trips like these, I was either not allowed to go or not in the condition to go. But this year would change. This was our senior year and I could do whatever the fuck I wanted because it was my last year.

"Wow! Can't wait! When are we leaving?" I asked.

"Tomorrow." Eddie said, then he added, "So you better start packing or else we are going to leave you!"

"Damn! Why couldn't you guys tell me earlier?! And no, I don't care if I have to go naked, but I am going to go to that damn trip!"

All of my gang laughed. "That's our Rose!" Mia said, chuckling again.

I smiled at her. "Well guys, I would love to stay and chat but I have to go find Lissa to tell her the good news!" I waved at them and called out _see you later! _and left.

I was feeling pretty damn good about myself as I walked to that church. God, I hoped Lissa was just as excited for this trip like I was.

As I made my way to the church, I happened to pass Dimitri who had that same longing-love look on his face. I just had had practice with him and as soon as my eyes saw him, my heart literally stopped beating. God, why did he make me feel like this? All I ever wanted is a good mentor and trainer. But no. I had to get someone like him! Life…is always so hard.

I made my way to the church attic. Before I could do anything I heard a female voice. From the way she talked, I knew it was Lissa. A huge smile glued on my face as I was opening the door. And then, I heard _his _voice. Please don't let it be him! Please don't let it be him! Had she forgiven Andy Conta? If she had, that boy was so dead!

I opened the door and saw them, huddled in the corner, her on his lap. I stared at the sight in front of me. Wow, I thought Lissa was completely in love with Andy Conta…never mind about him. She liked this…person. What was his name? I racked my brain for his name but I came out blank.

Lissa shot up from where she sat. I mean, why do that? I had already caught them. "Rose! Uh, hey!"

He half waved and looked up at me with icy-blue eyes. Oh. I knew who it was now. Christian Ozera. The looser from the school. Typical for Lissa to fall in love with someone like him. Typical, typical Lissa. I mentally chastised her for letting herself fall in love with someone as low-class as him.

"Hey," I said, making my tone as light as possible. "What are you doing here?"

"Rose, uh, this is Christian and we were just having a friendly chat."

I nodded amused by her answer. "A friendly chat, eh?"

She nodded very serious.

And then it hit me. Holy shit! Lissa was wanting to date a looser like him?! Ew! Hell no! I could not let this happen. It would ruin our reputations. Damn…it would bring me down in popular status if I welcomed someone like him into our group.

I put my disgusted expression while I stared down at Christian. "Lissa you do realize the consequences of dating a looser like that?"

"Rose!" Lissa yelled at me. I couldn't care less if she got mad over this. She had to understand that popular people shouldn't go out with someone lower in status then them.

"Lissa…you just don't go out with weird people." I sounded rude. But who cared? I was hurting anyone here.

Lissa looked at Christian who was now standing up. "I am sorry…she doesn't mean anything she is saying—"

Christian's expression was hard to read. "No, Lissa, it is okay! All that she is saying is true. We can't be together! Rose is right. We can't be together."

Lissa stared at him, a million tears in her eyes. "No, she isn't. I love you, Christian! That is all that matters!"

He shakes his head and leaves him.

"Rose, I am in love with him! Don't you understand that?" I shook my head and started to leave. "Rose, understand that I am in love with the most unpopular kid at the academy."

I stared at her, disgust all over my features. "How the hell did this happen?"

Lissa shrugged. I laughed and said to Lissa, "You are going to ruin yourself with him!"

"I don't care what happens!"

"Lissa! You can't be liking someone like him!" I said, angry that she did. And angry that she had someone and I didn't.

"Rose! You don't understand! I don't like him—"

"Then why the hell are you dating him?!" I said, not understanding her.

"Because I love him!" She said standing up and staring at me. "Haven't you ever fallen in love with somebody and you realize you can't be with them because of differences you two have?"

I shook my head. I hadn't happened to me. "Well, then! Until then, you will never know how it feels!" She yelled, walking to the door and slamming it behind her.

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	6. Severe Tragedy

_**Disclaimer: I don't anything from Vampire Academy, just the characters I have created and the plot.**_

Ah! The life. The ski lodge trip was the best thing ever. Nothing could ruin it…nothing could distract me—

Wait, is that Dimitri?

_Sexy_…the word formed in my mind as soon as I saw my sexy Russian mentor, Dimitri, passed by. All I wanted was to rush to his side and just start kissing him and doing him…Rose! Stay on task!

He smiled as we walked by and my heart stop beating for a second. I almost ran into the wall.

_Get it together Rose Hathaway! He is like fifty years older than you are! He would never want to date a kid like you! _Shut up, mind! God, I was going crazy. The voices in the head…the weird thoughts…the sings were all there. People just needed to put me in a box.

"Rose!" Mason called out while I walked to my room, interrupting my mental babble.

I unlocked my door and to my room. I ushered him inside. He looked around to see if any guardians were around. Everyone knew the rules: A female student and a male student should never be caught together or else big time shit for you.

I stretched out on the comfortable sofa. He sat down next to me and put my feet in his lap. Since Lissa and I were mad, I was forced to share a room with Mia, who was a year younger than me. "What's up, Mase? Can I help you with something?" I said, thinking about Dimitri's gorgeous smile. God that man really made me act un-normal.

Mason gave me a mischievous smile. He ran a hand down my leg. His actions didn't surprise me; Mason had been crazy about ever since he learned how to say my name.

"Nothing's up. Can't I just spend time with my favorite girl?" 

I looked at my nails that were painted blood red. "Uh, no. Not when she is busy and at the moment she is."

God, he really was starting to annoy me. He let both his hands rummage both of my legs. He started to lean towards me. He reminded me of a carrot sometimes. Well, not him, but his hair did.

Just as he was about to kiss me, I put a hand in between him and me. "Look, Mason. I don't know how else to tell you, but I don't want you. I never have. I don't like…I only see you as a friend! How many times do I have to say it?"

"Can you tell me why you don't want me?"

"First off, I don't want a relationship with you. Second, I don't see myself with you. You'd just become another play toy in my world. Do you understand now? How else do I have to say it?"

He stared at me with hurt and pain at first. Then his face hardened. He stood up and started walking to the door. "I am going to the nearest town…don't get worried if I don't come back."

Was that a threat? I answered with the first words that came to my mind. "I don't give a damn…if you never come back. Go die for all I care." Those words were a mistake to say to him, I found out.

Horrified, I tried to come back to the present. It was a mistake. I should have stayed reliving the flashback I had just had. The present was much worse than the past had been. The present held an unavoidable situation. Mason was dying.

I could have not done anything to save him. Strigoi were just that fast and that strong. I tried calling out his name to warn him of the danger. But anything I did would not stop this. As soon I said a word, the Strigoi sped up his attach. He cut Mason's head off.

"Mason!"

I shook my head at the gruesome scene in front of me. A fury that was beyond regular fury built inside me. I grabbed the stake that was lying on the floor, the one that Mason had dropped while the Strigoi attacked him.

The Strigoi didn't expect me to be so fast. Realizing his mistake later, he let his attention draw on Mason's dripping blood. It was not even funny…It was like Mason was dripping a river of blood. I could see him struggle to breathe in and out. I knew his life was about to end at any second.

_I am so sorry, Mason! _

I dug the stake in the Strigoi's heart so deep that it went through all of him. He gasped out and died. I was still so furious, though. I noticed Mia, Eddie, and Christian staring at me. I didn't pay attention to them. My attention was focused on Mason's dead body. In a matter of seconds, his life had been taken from him…

A couple of days later, Mason was going to have a proper burial and funeral. I cried so much. I had lost both of my best friends in just one week. The whole academy had to come back home because of Mason's death. They did not want anymore disasters happening.

The minister said a lot of things about Mason. How good he was…how we were going to miss him…and stuff like that. I didn't really pay attention to that. I just kept to myself and didn't say anything as the ceremony passed on. All I could think of was: _Were you sad, were you scared, did you whisper a prayer to be free? Was it quiet and cold, was it light or too dark to see? And did you reach for me?*_

When the funeral ended, I went to my room, not feeling like doing anything the rest of the day. It was a horrible day, overall. I just thought and thought about what had happened. I had lost my best friend because I told her she couldn't fall in love. And I had lost the other because I told him that I would never love him.

As I thought, a song on the radio came on that just made me even sadder. It was like the singer of the song had written it just for Mason.

_Sunny days seem to hurt the most  
Wear the pain like a heavy coat  
I feel you everywhere I go  
I see your smile, I see your face  
I hear you laughing in the rain  
Still can't believe you're gone_

I still couldn't believe he was gone. It was only like the other day that I had seen him alive and happy. __

It ain't fair you died too young  
Like a story that had just begun  
The death tore the pages all away  
God knows how I miss you  
All the hell that I've been through  
Just knowing no one could take your place  
Sometimes I wonder who you'd be today

It was my entire fault, Mason. If I hadn't told you those god-awful words. You would have never done this. Why did I say those words? Words were words…you couldn't take them back once they were said. __

Would you see the world?  
Would you chase your dreams?  
Settle down with a family?  
I wonder, what would you name your babies?  
Some days the sky's so blue  
I feel like I can talk to you  
And I know it might sound crazy

All his dreams were to become a father. And I ruined all his dreams. An avalanche of tears came pouring down. How could I live with guilt all my life? __

_Today, Today, Today  
Today, Today, Today_

Sunny days seem to hurt the most  
I wear the pain like a heavy coat  
The only thing that gives me hope  
Is I know I'll see you again someday

Someday, Someday

Oh, Mason. I hope when I see you again that you yell at me for ending your life so soon. My friend, I will never forget your wonderfulness. God, was I horrible. I cried so hard that night. I cried until I felt I could shatter nothing else in my body.

_God, I really fucked up bad. Help me. And Mason, I will never forget you and forgive me for being so awful to you. _

***(A/N: This part was from a good song called Joey by Sugarland!)**

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	7. Apologizing to Flame

_**Disclaimer: **__**I**__** don't anything from Vampire Academy, just the characters **__**I**__** have created and the plot.**_

At least a week had passed since Mason's death. And I decided to change my attitude and my way of being. I needed to be more serious about life. One way to show that my way of being was going to change was apologizing to everyone I had upset. First off was Lissa.

Hey, speaking of Ms. Blonde…

Lissa tried not to look at me as she passed by the table I was lounging on. Too bad. She was going to have to look at me whether she liked it or not.

"Lissa?" I called out, hopping off the bench and walking to her.

She stopped and turned around, her face showing that mask of carelessness she always tried to portray. There was no other face that fit her other then sweetness, though. "Yeah?" She asked, trying to sound as careless as her expression.

I swallowed, trying to summon the words that one used when apologizing. I had no words. This was so out of my personality. I tried, though. "Liss, I want to say…I'm sorry?" I sounded like I was asking a question instead of stating something.

I saw her face turn to sweetness, only for a second. Her face turned back to that carelessness one. "Sorry for what? It wasn't me you hurt! It was Christian! Start by forgiving him and then I might forgive you!" She yelled the words at me. I was shocked. Lissa so rarely yelled and she so rarely yelled at me. I had hurt too much; she was not acting as the same sweet Lissa that I loved.

I stood there, shocked. Damn, she was right. It wasn't she I had hurt that bad. It was Christian. I had told him some very undeserved words. I would have gone off to find him, but I was late for the meeting Alberta had made me go to.

_Once I am out of this damn meeting, I'll go apologize to you, flame. _I promised to whoever was listening.

The meeting was the most boring thing ever. The only exciting part was that I had gotten two marks for killing to beastly vampires that we call Strigoi. It wasn't really fun remembering about killing someone. It was just cool that I had gotten Molnija marks way before anyone else. Cool but not so fun at the same time, if that could be understood.

I was thinking about all that killing crap when I saw the person I was _dying_ to look for walk by.

"Christian?" I asked as he slowly walked by me.

"Rose." He said, his icy blue eyes looking at me from head to toes. "What can I do for you?"

I looked away and looked back at him. "Look, I just wanted to say that I am really sorry for saying all those words to you." It all came out in a rush. "You did nothing to deserve those words. It was just my rudeness acting up; it made me say those words to you. I guess I should have thought before I acted."

He looked at me with a face of a professional poker player. By far, that was the best poker face I had ever seen in my life. And I had seen a lot since I was a beast at poker! "I am amazed." He stared at me and I wanted to squirm away. "It took a best friend's death for you to realize how bad you acted and for you to change your ways." He nodded. "Don't you wish that you would have changed sooner? Maybe you could have had Mason with you right now."

_What comes around goes around._ I was so going to beat the shit out of him for saying that shit to me. I sauntered forward to slap the shit out of him when he put up a hand in a motion of _stop. _

His lips quirked up at the corner. "See that wasn't so nice was it? Now you know how I felt when I said those words."

I got annoyed. "So…do you accept my apology or not?" God this boy was so—_what is the word I am looking for_—he was so annoying. I wanted to slap some sense into him.

He ran a hand through his black, curly hair. Sometimes I thought a spider or a rat was nesting in there and when someone got near it would pop out and scare the shit out of someone. That someone would most likely be…me. "You apologized, really? Can you repeat it again so that I can—"

I stopped his blabber. "Look I know I said some undeserved things." I got closer to him. "But you know what the truth is? Lissa loves you. It's scary how much she loves. I could feel it through the bond. She loves you and needs you more than the airs she breaths. It's scary, like I said."

He was taken aback. "She does?" I swear his face lit up like a light was shinning on his face from above. All he needed was to start floating so that he would look like an angel.

"Yes, she does." I was happy for them. I mean if someone loved somebody this much, why didn't they get together? And then an idea occurred to me. I could feel Lissa was in the church attic where she loved to be. I grabbed Christian's hand and started dragging him with me.

"What the hell?" He asked as he saw that I dragging him along.

The church was around the corner and I pushed him inside as soon as I saw the doors. "Go. She is in there. Tell her how much you love her. Shit, show her how much you love her!"

He smiled. "Sure."

"Oh, and tell her I am sorry."

He smiled again and walked inside.

I turned back around only to slam myself into something—no, someone.

"Uh, hello? Can I help you?" The curvy Moroi that looked about seventeen years old said from where she lay on the ground. Had I slammed into her too hard to make her fall down? Judging by where she was, I knew that I had.

I tried not to crack a smile or bust out a laugh. "Um, are you okay?" I said, reaching out my arm so that I could help her up.

"Yes, I am!" She said.

This girl seemed like fun. "Okay."

She was starting at me an awful lot. "Oh. My. God. I. Know. Who. You. Are." She started getting really excited. "You are Rose Hathaway, daughter of my father's guardian, Janine Hathaway! You two look so alike!"

I nodded. "Yeah!"

"You are so cool!" She started to walk away. "Oh, crap!

"What?" I asked.

"I forgot to introduce myself. I am Jade I." I knew by the way she was dressed that she was a Royal Moroi. Her green eyes and light brown hair made it confusing for me to decide if she was from the Conta clan or the Lazar clan. "Jade Ivashkov."

_Ivashkov…_I had never heard of that last name in my life. Well, I had. But it was the queen bitchy queen that was ruling our world. "Cool."

Jade's phone rang. "Hello, brother. How can I help you?" She _uh-huhed _and _hmmed _at times. I let her finish her conversation. At the end, though, she said: "Guess who I met? I met Rose Hathaway!" She clapped her hands in joy.

"You are some wild person." I commented as soon as she hung up. As wild as she was, I knew I could get along with her.

Her eyes went wide and then she smiled. "Ohh, you so have not seen my brother." She looked away and started acting more serious. "Well, you haven't seen my brother! If you think I am crazy…then I wonder what you are going to think when you see him!" She started telling me about a story. "One time, we were at a party and he did he knows what with a girl in front of a lot people! Crazy, yeah. But I love my brother to death."

I nodded. "I'm sure you do." I looked at the time. Damn, I loved talking to this girl and I had to go to practice in less than a minute. "Well, Jade, it was nice meeting you, but I have to go to practice."

She nodded. "Okay! Anytime you want to see me, I am in the guest housing. I am starting school next week!"

"Really? That's great!" Dimitri was going to burst a vein as soon as I walked in the room.

"Yeah!" She started walking in the opposite direction I was going to start walking. She waved. "Bye! Take care, my new friend! I'll tell my brother about you so that he could finally get a decent girlfriend!"

I chuckled and rounded the corner with a smile on my face, heading to practice.

**Okay, people! Bear with me! Just one more chapter and then Adrian comes in the story! I am so excited for that chapter! Did you like Jade, Adrian's sister? Tell me what you think! Review…or else I will haunt you down. (insert evil laugh) **


	8. Love Struck by Wrong People

_**Disclaimer: I don't anything from Vampire Academy, just the characters I have created and the plot **_

"Jade, look on the bright side," I said, trying to cheer up the sad Jade. Her oldest brother Ervin had left the academy a few nights ago. "You won't have anyone to tell you what to do and stuff like that. And plus, you are going to see him again soon."

She rolled her eyes. "Rose, I am not sad because my brother left." She rolled her eyes again. "I am upset because my other brother is coming here."

This was so not making sense. "So?"

"So? So?! This brother is the one I was talking to you about. He makes my brother Ervin seem like he is the best thing in the planet, which he is not!"

"Okay, Jade. Whatever you say. I need to get to practice soon. Talk about something sane."

"Well…" She began, not knowing where to go next. "I am dating Jesse Zelkos."

I didn't know what to say. "I said to talk about something sane. This is defiantly not sane!" I took a deep breath. "But, all I can say is…EW!"

She chuckled. "Don't worry; I am not with him because I love him or anything like that. I am only playing him." She looked over my shoulder at something. "In fact, he is coming over here now." She smiled seductively at him. "Watch me work my magic, Rose." She whispered.

This girl was seriously crazy. Ever since we had bumped into each other three weeks ago, we had become like best friends. Lissa was still acting as a bitch towards me, but I couldn't care less. I would never beg anyone to like me or be my friend. Right now, Jade and I were the best of friends. No, she was more like my soul sister. Like I had said, we were the best of friends; we were closer than Lissa and I had been. We trusted each other with our whole life.

"I missed you last night. You didn't meet me in the garden like you had promised." Jesse said, using a tone I had never seen him use on anyone. It was sweet and gentle and soothing.

Jade pretended like she was examining her nails. "I never promised anything. I said I'd go, _if_ I had time to go, which I didn't. I am an Ivashkov; we are busy all the time with other lovers." She said, looking from her hands to his face, an innocent expression on her face.

Oh! I soo loved this girl! She had guts, we had to admit. If it had been me playing Jesse, I would have killed him already.

"Sweetheart, I'll be waiting for you tonight."

Jade was barely paying attention. She was looking at something over Jesse's shoulder. I saw her look of carelessness fade to a look of adoration. I looked to where she was looking and I saw that she was staring…oh hell. Cat fight. She was staring at Christian Ozera. Meanwhile, Lissa was staring at Lissa furiously. Like I had said. Cat fight!

She shook herself and turned back to Jesse with a fake smile plastered on her face. She ran her hands over her hair. "Um, tonight? I'll try my best." She pushed him away. "Now, leave!"

Willing, he left. This was so not a Jesse I knew. It was like Jade him under a spell. Good girl.

"And that's how you do it, Rose." Jade said, with laughing green eyes. Jade looked like a super model, except she wasn't anorexic skinny. We almost shared the same body structure, except she was several inches taller than I was because she was Moroi. The only thing that we didn't have similar was our hair color. She had light brown hair; I had dark brown hair that almost looked black. But, other than that, we were hot as hell.

"Wow…" I said, laughing. "Jesse is totally whipped! If it weren't for the fact that you were a girl, I'd kiss you right now."

She smiled and starting to lean towards me. I knew her well enough to know that she was just playing around with me. "Come closer, babe. Give me some of those wonderful kisses…"

I rolled. "Please, I am taken ."

She laughed. "By who? The wind?"

I rolled my eyes again. "Jeez, Jade. Like I have said so many times, you are just too wild and crazy!"

She smiled a fake reverent smile. "And like I said so many times, you haven't seen my brother." She laughed but then became serious when her phone beeped. She looked down at the txt message she had received. "Speaking of that bitch, I think he arrived." She started walking to the academy's runway, but then looked back at me. "Hey, do you want to come and meet him?"

I hopped off the bench I had been sitting on. As always, I was late for practice. Again. I wanted to go off with Jade. But damn! I knew Dimitri was going to kill me if I skipped today's Saturday practice to go meet a guy. "Jadie, I would love to, but Russian-Man would shoot me in the head if I skipped his training."

She pouted. "Oh, Rose. Too bad."

I smiled. "I'll meet your brother some other time." I said, trying to cheer her up.

She gave that way too excited smile. "Oh, Rose! He totally needs to meet someone decent like you! He needs a pretty, decent woman in his life."

I tried raising an eyebrow, something I had tried to do ever since I learned what the word kill was (which was just some time after I turned six). "And you think I'm decent?"

"Compared to all the other sluts he has dated, yes."

"Oh, wow." Seesh! Dimitri was going to be so pissed now. I walked over to her and hugged her. "Well, Jadie, I'll see you later. Tell your _sexy brother _I said hi."

"Sure, thing. I'll also tell him that you want to hook up with him later tonight, Rosie!" She called out to me. I knew she was not kidding this time.

I walked off with a smile on my face, not knowing that when I met her brother, my life would change—or rather my love life, but overall, my life would most definitely change.

—

As soon as I walked into the gym, I regretted it all at once. Dimitri was still the same love struck guy he had been ever since we had come back from that horrible ski trip. During one of our practices, he had mentioned that he had met the most wonderful woman in his world. He said had fallen in love and that his grandmother had been right. He had fallen in love, but not with the evil.

Dimitri was so not him as we practiced. He was acting more…gentle? Compassionate? No; he was acting like Jesse had been acting with Jade earlier. Totally…love struck. The woman was still a mystery to me. I had yet to ask him about her.

After practice, though. I did ask. "Who is it that you fell in love with?" I asked.

His eyes shined again. "Her name is Tasha Ozera."

Oh god! The last name sounded familiar but not the first name. Was she related to Christian Ozera? He proved it a second later. "She is related to Lissa's boyfriend, Christian." Oh, what was up with the Ozera's falling in love lately?

"Well, that's great Dimitri." Not.

And as I watched him, I realized that I was love struck as well. Love struck by him. He must have noticed the change in my expression because he opened his mouth to speak, all the while reaching his hand to my cheek. But I stopped it with a question.

"Is she here now?" It was a question I didn't really want answered. If she was here, good; if she wasn't here, great!

He didn't answer my question…which was great. But he did smile at something behind me. His whole face lit up like a dog when he sees his loving owner.

I turn around and I saw her standing there, out of nowhere. "Dimka…" she said in a voice so filled with love.

"Tasha, my love."

This was all so weird. I swear it felt like a field of daisies was going to blossom and Dimitri and Pasta—I mean, Tasha would start running around, hand in hand, wearing summery clothes.

I watched as she walked up to him, dressed all in black like her nephew. She threw her arms around him and he spun her around and started kissing her. Jeez, this was too intimate for me to witness it. But I had to be here until he excused me.

As I watched them, I couldn't help but feel jealous, real jealous. While I was stuck here, with thousands of rules I had to follow, other people were out there living there life however the hell they wanted. I couldn't believe I was jealous of Tasha Ozera. She had something that I wanted ever since I had laid eyes upon him. She had the guy I stayed up some nights thinking about. She had the love of my life—or she had the guy that I had thought was the love of my life. Nonetheless, she had him, and I didn't.

Dimitri and Tasha pulled away. He gestured to Rose. "Tash, this is Rose, my student."

Tasha looked at me, up and down her eyes traveled. She wasn't checking me out or anything like that; she was looking me over to see if I was better than she was. Of course I was better than she was! I, for one, wasn't old and saggy like she was. I was beautiful and young and so full of life, unlike her who looked literally dead. She reminded of a deserted with just tumbling weeds, rolling around the desert, making it seem like that was the only life. The only life you could detect on her was her icy blue eyes that were identical to Christian Ozera's.

"Hello," she sneered, when she noticed that I was prettier than she was.

Oh, two could play at the bitching game. I didn't even say anything. I just acknowledged her _hello_ with a wave of my hand.

Dimitri must have noticed the change in me because he asked: "What's wrong?" He asked, stepping closer to me, his hand reaching for me.

I pulled my hand away, letting a tear slip. Shit, was I that mad? I thought I was since tears were slipping out. Usually I just cried when I really pissed off. This was one of those times. "Rose, tell me, what's wrong?"

"Nothing! Can I go back to my room?" He studied me for a second and realized that he would not get an answer out of me. After a second, he nodded. I swear that I saw Tasha saunter towards me with a heat of anger. I ignored her and everyone who tried to get in my way as I stomped to my room, except Jade.

I wiped off some tears, hoping that Jade didn't see that I had been crying like a six week old kitten.

"Rose, my sister, what's wrong?" Damn, she had noticed my tear streaked eyes.

I yawned. Usually when I yawned it looked like I was crying because of all the tears my yawning produced.

She nodded, totally believing it. "It happens," she said, patting my arm. Oh. She hadn't believed a single word I had said. She was just giving me my space. She tried cheering me up. "You know the crazy brother I just can't stop talking about?"

I nodded. "Yeah, what's up with him?"

"Well, nothing is up. He just said that he would want to meet you later tonight—or tomorrow because right now he is taking his beauty sleep."

How could I have thought about other guys when the one I wanted wasn't even interested in me?

I gave sigh of desperation. "Sorry, Jade. Tell him I'll see him some other night. I am too tired tonight."

My tone was enough for her to not press her case. She nodded and reached out to hug me. "It's okay, Rose. He is going to be here quite a while. He is practicing Spirit with that Dragomir Blonde…what's her name? Anyway, he is going to be here a while. So no worries."

Oh. He was the Spirit user Lissa had been talking about. I was kind of excited. But thinking about Dimitri brought me down again. I told Jade goodbye and before I left, she said, "I am here if you need me." She hugged me again and I walked to my room.

I went straight to bed and cried, while I imagined a future that I couldn't have with him, Dimitri—or anyone.

**Oh. God! I am so excited! Just a couple more paragraphs and Adrian will be here! Raise your hand if you are excited for the next chapter?! *Raises hand* God, I think I am going crazy! Thanks heaps for reading and reviewing! Remember, the faster you review this chapter, the faster Adrian will come! Review…or this time, I will give you to Dimitri so that he could eat you. Muhahaha! (I would review if I were you…Dimitri is scary)**

**Review! **


	9. Late Night Encounter

**Ohh! Here it is! At last! Hope you like it! **

_**Disclaimer: I don't anything from Vampire Academy, just the characters I have created and the plot.**_

That night…well sleep seemed irrelevant to me. I just tossed and turned and just thought about everything. It was one of the restless nights where you couldn't sleep because you are thinking. Well it was one of those nights. 

_Calm, Rose, calm. _

Well, there was only thing that calmed me down and that was nature. Maybe that was what I needed in ordered to breathe right. I needed to go take a breather outside, near the forest. I walked over to my closet and grabbed the first coat I could get my hands on and then started my way outside.

I looked around the hallway to see if there were any guardians near the staircase. Lucky me, none were around. I started down the stairs as quietly as possible. Now slipping by the guardian that was stationed by the exit—that was hard. As soon as her attention was diverted, I slipped by past her as quietly as possible.

Soon I found myself walking the hallways of the academy.

The cool air was helping a lot on calming me down, making me forget about my mixed feelings. This was what I needed all along; fresh breathing air. Fresh air—

Hey, what's that smell? Is somebody smoking? This is defiantly not fresh air. A took a step further and when I sniffed the air, I knew that someone was indeed smoking, smoking clove cigarettes. I knew it was clove cigarettes because one of my old teachers used to smoke all the time.

But the question was: Who was smoking? The punishment if you were caught smoking was bad. So I knew that it wasn't a student here.

I decided to just ignore it. I kept on walking.

And—

I saw someone leaning against the wall, the person's back turned towards me. I stood there a couple of seconds, checking the person out. He must have felt someone behind him because he turned around; he didn't turn all the way, he half turned towards me and waggled his fingers in the air. Not far enough to really look at me, but far enough to make it look like he was talking to me, and not the wall in front of me.

"Hi, there." it said. From the voice, I knew he was a he. He had the sexiest voice ever, the sexiest that I had ever heard come out of a guy's mouth.

I didn't even say anything. I should have said something. But I couldn't. From his back profile, I knew he was sexy. Sexy enough to make me speechless and making me want to melt.

He turned around. Oh. My God. Just. Shoot. Me. Now. He was…no words could explain his unreal beauty. I was beyond words. If I tried speaking, I knew it would come out like a pig was speaking rather than a human had spoken. God, this guy had to be the sexiest man in this world.

He turned around wondering why I hadn't spoken. He dropped his cigarette and pulled out another one and started smoking it. His green eyes—boy did he have the sexiest green eyes ever—became very gentle, but there was humor in the very depths of them. He leaned up against the wall, facing me now. He looked me over. "Hello, beautiful."

I had been looking down but when I looked up and _damn! _was I astounded by his features! He had the sexiest body ever! His voice was like a melodious caress but his body was a whole different thing entirely. It was a sin even looking at his body. He was tall, about six feet and several inches. The color of his hair was a golden brown. Damn! He had the most wonderful green eyes! His dark green eyes were designed to drown in. His lips were as sexy as him. I could imagine myself kissing those wonderfully soft-looking lips. He looked about two years older than me. Nearing the age of twenty or maybe even a little older. He was too handsome. Too perfect. I stared at him. _Say something! _my mind screamed at me. But I was incapable of anything verbal. I simply kept staring like a total idiotic psycho. Self-consciously, I ran a hand through my hair. I'm sure it looked like there had been a chicken fight in there. Some seconds passed; I finally found my voice. "Hi."

He smiled a smile that made my whole insides flop. He reached out his hand. "I am Adrian Ivashkov."

I tried shaking his hand, but he kissed it instead. "And I am Rose Hathaway." I said, staring into those Emerald eyes.

He chuckled and his laughed reminded me of a warm, sunny day at the beach. "I know. Jade has told me a lot about you."

Oh, hell! This was Jade's older brother! "Jade…" For some reason, that brought back the memories of Dimitri and Tasha. I looked the other way and tried to hold back the tears that threatened to gush out.

He noticed my change of mood. Even gentler his green eyes became. "You don't seem well. What's wrong?"

His questioning reminded me of why I was here in the first place. "Just lots of drama."

He nodded, but his look was far away. I think he understood what was wrong with me. "Oh. I understand. It happens to me all the time."

He leaned down to me. For a second, I thought he was going to kiss me. My heart leapt faster and harder. I even closed my eyes, waiting for it. I opened my eyes and he was so shocked. His expression was funny to look at. His expression was one that a new mother would have when she met her newborn baby. Abruptly, he pulled away and leaned as far away from me as possible. I started to do the same thing. It was like someone—or _something _was making us do this and feel what we were feeling. I shook my head and started to walk away. But he caught my hand.

Bad mistake on his part. _Something _happened. It was like I knew him from somewhere else, like I had met him before. But I was sure I had never met this guy ever in my life.

His touch sent wild sensations all over my body. He glared at me and then at his hand as if it had betrayed him. "What the hell…who are you?!" So he felt it too?

"No, you tell me, who the hell are you?" I left it at that. "Whatever, I am out of here!"

But, to my misfortune,he was there in front of me. He caught my hand and the feelings started again. It was like someone had shot a Taser gun through my whole bad. _Zap! _all through my body and I am sure he felt the same way I was feeling.There was friction in the air we were both breathing.

It was like I was stumbling, tripping, falling. There was nothing to hold onto except his eyes. Those eyes that looked like Emeralds of the purest kind, the ones only the finest people could afford. Oh. God. Help me.

There was silence. We just stared at each other.

"Hell! Who _are _you?!" I asked, brusquely. I had dropped my manners some time ago.

"Shit! Who are _you_?!" He said, using the same tone I was using.

We both glared at one another. What the hell was happening here? I was arguing with someone I barely knew. I took a deep breath. Shaking himself, he spoke. He looked like a cat that has been alerted, shaken. "Look, what did you do to me? I have never felt like this before." He did a bad imitation of his former bad boy smile. "But, it's okay. I have always liked a girl with spirit." He said, reaching for my cheek.

Hadn't he learned the lesson? Don't touch me! _Fzzz!_ Sparks flew and the world fell away as soon as our bare skin made contact.

I jumped back away from him, barely believing that all this was happening.

"You better go away now," I warned between clenched teeth. Like Jade had said, this guy was really crazy. I was shooing him away but all I wanted to do was to knock him down and fall on him and just start kissing him.

I ignored all my feelings and slapped him hard on the cheek. "Are you dumb or something?! I said…_GO!_"

That sure woke him up from his trance. He started rushing away from me. He didn't want another undeserved slap.

As he treated, he glared at me like I was the thing he hated the most in this planet. And I glared right back at him. Jade had said I would love her brother as soon as I saw him. Jade had been so wrong because now I hated her brother. And nothing would change my feelings towards him. Nothing. Or so that's what I thought.

Scared, annoyed, and a whole lot of other things, I went back to my room to continue tossing and turning but eventually did catch some sleep but all through my sleep, I dreamt about Adrian Ivashkov and his gorgeous green eyes.

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	10. An Eclipse to My Heart

**Thanks for reviewing all my stories! You guys are just too wonderful! Anyway, here is chapter 9 in Adrian's POV. Hope you enjoy. Oh. And there is a new poll on my profile! Please go check it out and vote! Thanks a million!**

**-Rose Melissa I. **

_**Disclaimer: I don't anything from Vampire Academy, just the characters I have created and the plot.**_

"When will you get it, Tatiana! I will not marry someone just because you say so!"

"Adrian, son! You have to listen! You are the only one who can bring back the Ivashkov reputation!" Even though we were a couple of hundred miles away, I knew my aunt was on the verge of getting pissed off.

"I am not the only the Ivashkov son. Why do you always put the pressure on me, Tatiana?"

She was beyond reasoning, though. "You brother, Ervin, screwed himself already with that cheap dhampir blood whore! You can't follow up in his shoes! Marry Serena Dashkov! She is nice, decent, and rich! What more do you want?"

"I don't want to marry that slut!"

"Adrian, don't you see! The Ivashkov reputation is ruined! Ruined, do you hear me? This is for the good of the Ivashkov family." Then she paused. "What are people going to say about me, if you do not help me restore that reputation?" She made a horrified noise. "Oh, the rumors! I could already hear them!"

I gave a deceitful laugh. "You aren't doing this for the sake of the Ivashkov name; you are doing this because you don't want to be brought down." I gave a similar laugh to the one I had given earlier. "You don't care about anyone but you." I gave a smile, though I knew she would not see. "You are just like me. The world could be dying, but as long as you are breathing, everything is great with you."

"Yeah, and Serena is prepared to change you. To love you." She started yelling again. "I already told her that you would agree to marry her! Be a man and step up to this deal!"

Simply and cleanly, I said, "No." I took a sip of my liquor.

"What am I going to do with her?! She already thinks you are going to marry her!"

That was all I could take. I snapped at her. "Look, I don't give a damn about that slut! You could shove her up your ass for all I care!" I took a deep breath. "Go fuck yourself, Tatiana, I don't care what happens to you, either." I hung up the phone and threw it against the wall. I heard it crack and shatter. Oh, well. I'd have to buy a new one later.

I downed the glass of vodka I was drinking and looked over to the table where my cigarettes were set. It had been at least two hours since I had a cig. I walked over to them and started out the door.

It was a peaceful night, if I do say so myself. Everything was peaceful except my fucking life. I could not go anywhere without people talking shit. If they saw me with a girl they thought I only wanted to fuck her and leave her. People thought I only lived for sex and the good life. But that wasn't true at all. Ever since my brother got married with someone who wasn't even in our class, a dhampir, I was looking for love. But all girls wanted me because I had money, I was sexy, and I had a good name. Never for the reasons I wanted them: love.

_Problems…just problems. _

I pulled out a cig and leaned on the wall. Who knew that the person that I sensed some time later behind me, would change my life. I turned my head half ways toward the person behind me. "Hi, there." I said in my normal voice. I didn't want to use my most charming voice. What if it was a guy behind me and I he thought I was trying to seduce him?

When the person didn't say anything, I turned around. Had I imagined someone behind me? Maybe it was that Spirit girl that I was training with. What was her name? Anastasia? No. Her name was Lissa. But the girl standing in back of me was not Lissa…it was Rose. Her name was Rose, according to Jade.

_Well, God, I think you finally made Adrian Ivashkov realize what true beauty is. _

She had to be unreal…or at least if she was real, she had to be a goddess. I had to be the god, Ares, that was attracted to that one goddess. What's her name? Aphrodite? Yes, we were Aphrodite and Ares.

She was a pure pretty—no; she was a beauty. I looked at her and I looked at her good. She had to be the most beautiful person in this world. She had the nicest body I had ever seen on a walking female. But that was irrelevant to the beauty that belonged to her gorgeous brown eyes. I could get lost in those eyes. Had I been blind when I said that my type of eyes was blue eyes, eyes that I loved to see on a woman? Looking at my gorgeous goddess, I knew I had been blind because this girl, this Rose, was absolutely, wonderfully…beautiful. She had everything I could ever need.

I had always been living in the dark, but now, it was like she brought out the sun because she shooed the clouds away. Her light was like a love that floated around me, hitting me in the heart for the first time._ Who knew that Adrian Ivashkov had a heart?_ Or maybe cupid had finally decided to shoot me with his arrow. If he had, he had shot me dead in the heart. And I think the arrow would stay there until I died, or maybe even longer. It would linger in my spirit. I felt like I had been drowning in a pool of hate and when I came up for air, I breathed in the breath of love.

Love only comes once—pure, absolute, real love only came once, and this was my _once. _It takes every breath you had ever breathed. And I knew it would love scars, lots of them. A scar of love. This love spoke to your soul, opened and stung your heart, and sang to your heart.

I pulled out another cigarette in order to distract myself from her heart-stopping beauty. It was either smoking another cig or falling down and throwing her on top of me and start kissing her and tell her that I loved her with all my heart and that she was the first woman that ever truly touched my heart.

_Shit, behave, Ivashkov! What happened to your womanly charms? Where did they go? Plus, who knew I had feelings? _

She took a huge, shaky breath as if she too had been shot by cupid. "Hi," she said in the shakiest voice ever. I had never, ever in my life seen a girl shy around me.

_I'm going to marry you Someday…you are so beautiful…why didn't I meet you before?_ My mind kept saying those witty comments. As much as I tried to ignore them, they kept coming.

I tried being normal. But this girl had moved me so far; I did not know if I would ever be the same crazy Adrian I. from before. Like the gentleman my father raised me to be, I extended a hand towards her. "I am Adrian Ivashkov," I told her producing the smile that I knew melted all girls and hearts, even the hardest ones. She put her hand in mine, expecting a shake. I wanted a lot more than to just shake her hand. I brought it up to my lips, all the while looking into those soulful brown eyes, and kissed it.

"And I am Rose Hathaway." Oh, hell. Her mother was that hell hound, my father's guardian. Oh, shit. She was Janine Hathaway's daughter. Crap, I was so dead if she found out that I had fallen for her daughter. _Breathe, Ivashkov; it's going to be alright. _I tried chuckling, but I hoped she didn't hear the fear in my laugh. "I know. Jade has told me a lot about you." And Jade had been bugging me nonstop about this girl.

Recognition flashed in her eyes. I wondered about that. "Jade…" she whispered.

Then I saw her beautiful aw-struck expression change to one of sadness. I could see her hold back tears. It broke my heart. I put on my most gently expression. But I wanted to grab her tight in my arms and take her someplace where it only would be her and me. She would probably think I was crazy if I did that; so I settled with asking, "You don't seem well. What's wrong?"

She looked away for a second. "Just lots of drama." Rose answered.

I understood all too well what this poor, my poor Rose, was feeling. "Oh. I understand. It happens to me all the time."

I leaned down towards her. For a second, all I wanted was to kiss her, to kiss those soft lips that I am sure people would kill to kiss. She probably did think that I was going to kiss her; my Moroi senses let me hear her heart speed up in pace and her breath quickened. Her eyes closed for a second. Did she want this kiss as much as I wanted? I was astounded. I had barealy met this girl and I already I was head over heels for her. I had been a blind man and now I was looking at the beauty of the sun for the first time.

_Ivashkov, what the hell?! _

I pulled so fast away from her, leaning as far as possible. She probably thought I was a psycho. _Rose, my love, yes I am a psycho, a psycho for you! _ Maybe _something _was really out in the air, like Jade had once said. Everyone has a true love; you will feel it in the air, you will feel in it your heart, and you will feel it burn you in the air. _AHH! I Love you! You are my love…don't ever let me go! Love at first sight! _I wanted to scream at her.

She was shaking herself and soon started to walk away. I caught her hand before she could take another step.

And that's when I felt it.

Well, _Something _happened. Had I seen this girl before? Did I know her in another life of mine? Did I meet her in one of those parties I always like to hang at? My soul was telling me that I had met her, but my mind knew that I had never seen her in my entire life.

Her touch did more _something _to me. Just the brush of her fingers caused random vibrations in my body. I had never felt this before in my life. I looked at my betraying hand and then I glared at her, instantly getting mad. Who the hell did this girl think she was to come and make me feel all these weird feelings? "What the hell…who are you?!" God, I was so pissed.

And she was equally as pissed as I was. "No, you tell me, who the hell are you?" She seemed like she rather be swimming in acid than here. "Whatever, I am out of here!"

Oh, so hell no. I was not going to let this person, if she deserved to be called person, to leave without explaining what she had done to me. Was she a secret witch I had not known about? I blocked her way before she could anywhere else I caught her hand; the same feelings started again. Did I get struck by lightning without realizing it? _Zap! _I felt all over my body. Static in the air. I was surprised my head didn't explode.

Is it possible that I eyes could be used as something to hold onto while you were falling? Well, it seemed like it was possible because I was falling and I was holding onto her beautiful brown gaze. _Lord love a camel; I had been so in love with this girl and now I hated her. _

Following are zapping scene was silence. During our silent pause, we just stared at each other.

Finally she broke the silence. "Hell! Who _are _you?!" She asked, brusquely.

"Shit! Who are _you_?!" I said, using the same tone _she _was using.

Again…another glared followed. Shittiest hell, can you explain what was happening here? I had never in my life spoken to a pretty, young beauty like this, but now, all reasons of manners didn't matter anymore.

I took a deep breath. Shaking myself, I spoke."Look, what did you do to me? I have never felt like this before." I tried doing my bad boy smile but I knew it probably looked like a messed up grimace. Again I tried being normal. "But, it's okay. I have always liked a girl with spirit." He said, reaching for my cheek.

Holy hell, why didn't you warn me not to do that again, touch her cheek? Keep your hands of her, Ivashkov or else you will feel a _Fzzz!_

I shot a death glare at my hand again.

"You better go away now," she warned between clenched teeth. She did something abosoelty not amazing; she slapped my check. "Are you dumb or something?!…_GO!_"

No one lifted a hand to Adrian I. No one. And she had braved it and went on ahead and slapped me. I did as she ordered, glaring at her while I left. I hated her now. She glared back with eyes that were soulless now. Jade was wrong; she said I would fall in love with this girl at first sight. She was wrong again. She had tried to find true love again for me, and again had failed. Now, I ended up hating this girl.

I started walking to my room. But then I saw Jade's room alit. She was still awake. I needed to talk to her.

%%%%%%%

"And how do you feel about that?" Jade asked once again. I was lying down on the couch of her guest room and she was sitting close by on a white puffy chair. It was seriously ironic. I felt like I was a psycho man in desperate need of a therapist. Jade was the therapist; I was the damn patient in need of some damn help!

This was ridiculous. "Jade! This girl does not love me; she hates me!"

Jade snapped at me. "How do you know? Can you read minds?"

"No." I said, helplessly.

"See! Until you see into her mind, you will never know how she feels! Quit being a girl, Adrian! Start thinking like a man!"

I stood up and walked to the door. "Thanks, Jade. Thanks for all your help." I said sarcastically.

"No problem." She said as sarcastic as I had.

I stalked off to my room which was right next door. God. Why had you given me love and taken it away a few minutes later?

I walked into my room, removing clothes as I walked. I threw all my clothes on the ground and jumped into bed, wishing Rose was here, on the same bed as I was, my arms tightly around her. Like always, as soon as my back hit the mattress, I dozed off.

But only to dream about my beautiful darling love, Rose Hathaway.

**Adrian loves you…Review! **


	11. Some Night

_**Disclaimer: I don't anything from Vampire Academy, just the characters I have created and the plot.**_

_**Some Weeks Later- RPOV**_

"And I want to say that I am really sorry," Lissa said, tapping her foot as she apologized for being such a hateful hag from hell.

I studied her. Why would she apologize out of the blue? I looked behind me at Jade and back at Lissa. "Okay, Liss? I forgive you."

She smiled and threw her arms around me, total normal Lissa behavior. "Rose, I missed you so much, best friend!" As she said the last words, I saw Lissa throw Jade a _look _that said "This is my best friend and only mine!" Okay, Lissa were seriously loosing it.

Jade so did not look amused. She didn't care what people said. "Oh, hey, Lissa," she said, using that same sweetness Lissa was using on her. "So how are the Spirit practices with my brother going?"

Oh, so Lissa didn't know that Jade was Adrian's sister. God, these girls were so confusing! I wanted to slap Lissa for acting so stupid and I wanted slap Jade as well for the same reasons as Lissa.

Lissa smiled. "They are going great." Lissa looked down at her cell phone, checking the time, I supposed. Then she looked at me. "Rose you soo have to meet Adrian! He is the cutest thing alive! The first time I saw all I wanted was to throw myself in his arms and just start loving him! I think I fell in love with him, too!"

Jade was currently distracted with someone on the phone so she didn't hear what Lissa was saying.

I thought back to when I had first seen Adrian, which was two weeks ago, and I had to agree with Lissa. Adrian was a total hottie, a hottie that liked you a second and then hated you the second after. But, yes; he was sexy as hell.

"Really, Lissa? I have to meet him one day and see his gorgeousness for myself." I really didn't want to Lissa that I had met him because I didn't want to recall the details of that night.

"Rose?" Jade asked.

"Yeah."

"My brother said he needed to pick up some things at the mall, do you want to tag along?"

"Uh…" Should I go or not?

She smiled and the smile reminded me of Adrian. "Come on! It will be so fun! My brother may be crazy, but he sure as hell knows how to have fun!" She smiled deviously. "And my dad just gave him the newest credit cards, which have no limit and Adrian seriously has no limit when it comes to spending money!"

I shook my head, not because I didn't want to go, but because they seriously did have a butt load of money.

She thought I had shaken my head no. "Oh, Rose! Please come. If you come, he will make up for acting so rudely on the night you met." She started whining. "Please, Rose! He will buy you anything and want and need! Just please come with me."

"Oh, fine!" Then I thought about something that might impede me to go that horrid trip. "But first I have to ask the headmistress permission and you know how she is."

Jade smiled. "Oh, don't worry. My brother is on his way to clear it up." Then Jade and I remembered Lissa was here. Jade put on a fake expression on her face and looked at Lissa. "I would invite you, too, but my brother said I could only take one friend along."

Lissa's face hardened. "It's fine. I have better things to do." She started walking away but she looked back at me. "See you later, Rose. Have fun." Only I could see the hurt in her eyes. It made me feel guilty.

Jade called back out to Lissa. "Oh, Lissa, some advice." She cleared her throat. "Adrian does not like snobby, bitchy, skinny Royals, so you might to change your attitude if you ever want to go out with my brother, which I am sure he will never want to go out with you."

Okay, if I did not stop these girls right now, I am sure there was going to be a cat fight up in here.

I saw Lissa turn red. "Oh, we'll see about that…" She said and left.

I stared at Jade. "Was that necessary?"

She shrugged and she did truly look guilty. "I am sorry, Rose. I don't like talking to her like that but she starts it every time. I mean, I like her; she's cool. But if she going to be a bitch to me, then I am going to be a bitch to her. If a dark barks, aren't you going to bark back?"

I started laughing. "How am I going to bark to a dog?" Then I turned serious. "And what was up with you inviting me to the mall?"

"Oh? I just wanted to spend so my quality time with you." She said. I knew her well enough to know that she was lying. She looked at her cell phone's clock. "Oh! By the way, if you don't start to get ready, your boyfriend is going to get mad!"

She grabbed my hand and started pulling me to her room. "My boyfriend? Who is my boyfriend?"

"Quit playing dumb with me; I know you love Adrian."

I rolled my eyes. "Please."

She giggled. "Quit lying." She said again.

I rolled my eyes again and followed her to her bedroom.

"Well, don't we look hot." Jade commented as we admired ourselves in the mirror.

"Oh, yes we do." I was wearing a purple halter dress that went to my knees and some black pumps. Jade was wearing and olive colored mini dress and some pumps that matched the color of her dress. We looked really cute, almost as if we were going out on a date with very special men.

Oh, crap. Maybe we were. What if Jade had lied?

Someone knocking on the door made me wake up. Jade brightened up. "That would be our dates."

"Date?" I asked, getting nervous.

She looked at me, smiled and shrugged. "Um, my date."

I raised an eyebrow at her. "Okay?"

She winked at me before opening the door. Jesse was first to come in. He looked okay in a dark jeans and a coat. I had never seen him dress like this. Jade could really work magic. And then _he _came in. Now this guy really did make me want to swoon and melt at the same time. I am sure that if this guy would have dressed in thrift store (not that there is anything wrong with that) clothes, he would have still looked good. He made anything look good.

"Jade," he called out to her, being careful not to look at me. "Are you and—Rose—ready to go yet?"

"Yes we are," she said, going to her closet and pulling out clothes for both of us. Everything I was wearing (except my braw and underwear) was borrowed from her.

She put her bitchy mask on as she walked to Jesse's side. Oh, hell. This was absolutely terrifying. She had planned a double date just to make me go through hell. This girl was soo going to pay.

"You look so pretty tonight." Jesse commented as he took her hand and led her forward.

"Thank you. Now shut up and let me enjoy my moment." Jade said. I wanted to burst out laughing. but I couldn't because Adrian was standing there looking at me.

His look made me want to crawl away—no; it made me want to crawls toward him and just start loving him like I had no other man.

He smiled. "Are you just going to stand there or are you going to come with us?"

I smiled back at him. And started walking out the door.

We had to walk a couple of meters before we were at the parking lot where all guests kept their cars. I followed Jade and Adrian to an awesome black Hummer.

"Adrian and Rose ride in the front and Jesse and I ride in the back." Jade said, getting into the back of the Hummer.

There was no other choice than to crawl into the Hummer and sit next to the guy I absolutely did not like. We drove in silence; the only sounds were Jesse and Jade in the back. I could see Jade getting annoyed and I couldn't help but chuckle.

"I'll take the Filet Mignon," I said to the waitress who was kindly taking our orders. She smiled politely and nodded, writing down on her pad. She moved on to the next person.

"So, Rose, how did you like those dresses my brother bought you?" Jade asked, trying to break the silence.

"They are nice. Thanks." I said once again.

"No problem," Adrian said smoothly, looking down at the table while he said it.

"Adrian?" Jade said, smiling deviously.

"Huh?"

"I dare you to go and sing a song over there in the Karaoke area." Jade said.

I knew by all the alcohol he had consumed, that he would agree. People are not themselves when they are drunk. Adrian had bought all of us a drink. I was the only one who had asked for seconds.

Adrian one last swig of his glass and stood up, pulling him with me. He winked when he saw me protest. "Come on, Rose. Let's show these people what we are made of."

I was drunk enough to go with him and get up on that stage and sing a song with him. They should have chosen a better song for us—the song Total Eclipse of the Heart was what we sang.

We bowed for the audience and everyone clapped. We must have good voices. In the corner, I could see Jade holding her phone, recording what we did, and laughing her ass off. God, I would have been laughing too. Adrian put an arm around me and kissed the top of my head. I was laughing uncontrollably; maybe I had drunk too much of whatever Adrian had order for me.

We walked back to the table. Jade suggested we go and then we started walking to the Hummer. Jade put the volume on blast inside the Hummer as she drove us to the academy. She was probably trying to block Adrian and me, but we still kept on singing. This had to be the funniest and most fun night in my life. Jade was right; Adrian did know how to have fun.

I waved goodbye to them and started walking to my room. It wasn't long before I sensed someone behind me.

I turned around to find Adrian following me. "Hey, Rose?" He said when I stopped at the female dhampir dorms.

"Yeah?"

He leaned on the door and crossed his arms on his chest. "So sorry on how I acted last week." He seemed _really _sorry.

I gave a huge smile. "It's okay, and thanks for apologizing," I said, looking around. I was not behaving with my normal Rose Hathaway attitude. What was wrong with me? I couldn't think of a good enough question to ask him. I couldn't even think of a good conversation to start with him. I settled with the dumbest question ever. "Why are you here?"

He chuckled again. But his expression changed. "Can't I try and be a gentleman? Its good manners for a man to walk a girl he likes to her place." He said, admiring my face for a second, his eyes boring into mine intently.

I looked at him, a question in my eye. I raised my eyebrow at him. He just shrugged and gave that nice laugh of his again. He turned to me and gave me that smile again, that smile that made my insides warm, that smile that made me lose my thoughts, a smile that made my heart flop all over inside my chest.

"Oh, okay. I guess we are all weirdos." It wasn't even that funny, but he still laughed. But I knew it was just the alcohol speaking for both of us. He was one of those guys that was very cool and fun and acted careless, but when it came to it, he was one of the most caring guys ever. He chuckled again and reached out to caress my cheek. All signs of being drunk disappeared as he looked into my eyes.

I wasn't sure if he had said those words or if I had hallucinated because I heard:

_Forever just started tonight. _

This was definitely a night to remember; we wouldn't remember because we were both drunk as shit. _Too bad; there will be better memories later. _I waved at him and started walking to my dorm. As I walked, I could feel his eyes on me and his touch still lingering on my cheek.

**Tell me if you liked it or not? I feel like I am sucking in my writing lately. **


	12. New Complication

_**Disclaimer: I don't anything from Vampire Academy, just the characters I have created and the plot.**_

I groaned as I felt pounding behind my head. I rolled over to check what time it was. I groaned when I saw what time it was. Good thing it was Saturday and I didn't have to train with that Russian.

Just when I was about to go to sleep, my phone rang. Are you fucking serious? Never talk about the devil when you don't want him to appear.

"Hello?" I said into the phone.

"Rose! Get dressed! I want you here in the gym in ten minutes! Go!" The tall Russian said and after hanging up the phone.

I almost fell out of bed as I tried to get out of it. I could not get up out of bed. This was real shit. I stumbled to my closet and went inside to grab things to wear. I put on the first things my hands touched. I hope it was something matching. I walked into the bathroom brushed my teeth and combed my hair. All the while I felt like I was about to die or something. Seriously, I had learned a new lesson. Never drink or else that damn Russian might find out. Maybe he was only doing this because he knew I had gone out.

Damn him! I thought as I made my way to the gym. He has to ruin all my fun! Fun? What fun had I done last night? I could not remember a speck of shit from last night. Oh, well. I just hoped I hadn't partied naked because shit happens when you party naked.

"What is up, Comrade?" Hey, if I was going to be pissed at him might as well use the name he absolutely hated.

He flashed a flash light into my eyes. He seemed to get pissed. "Where the hell were you last night?"

I shied away from the light. "Do I ask you _where the hell were you last night_ and wake you up from your sleep?"

He threw me against the wall. "Where were you last night?!"

I would have socked him but the horrible urge to throw up stopped me. I just hoped I didn't throw up on him. "Jeez, I don't remember."

"You don't remember?!" He demanded.

I shook my head and tried remembering but all I got were flashes of green eyes. Who had green eyes that I knew?

"See. That's what happens when you go out with Andy Conta!"

"What the hell? I would never touch that street rat. Ever!" I shuddered, thinking of his hands on me.

He gripped my jaw and was about to yell at me again when a voice spoke from somewhere in the gym.

"I wouldn't treat a beautiful specimen like that, if I were you." Said an old Guardian that looked about the age of Dimitri, which was old to me. "Watch out, this girl is a feisty one. I would want her for myself."

I shuddered again. I rather be poked by Andy than be touched by this old man. God, perverted men these days.

"Look old man, this is an argument between Guardian Belikov and I. Nobody invited you to intervene in our argument."

His eyes swept my body. "Guardian Belikov, you are lucky to have this beauty as your trainee. If I had her, I would just bed her already."

Oh, hell. I couldn't believe this man had ever gotten fired. Maybe he was too good to be fired. Maybe I should report him to Alberta or Kirova.

I used my seducing side of me to get his name out of him. "And what is your name, Guardian?" I semi purred my words.

"I am Guardian Alto; Alto for you, sweetie."

I tried to keep the disgust off of my face. God, this was the worst hangover I had in my life. I turned around and puked in the nearest trash can. This was seriously gross. I wiped my mouth and looked at Dimitri. "Can I go back to my room?"

He nodded, keeping his eyes on Alto.

I ran outside and I ran into Jade. She held my hair while I puked my guts up on the sidewalk. She was a good friend. "Rose, come on, let's go to my room."

I followed her, putting a hand over my mouth as to not let anything fall out.

"Hey, I hate to break it to you, but you like bad." Jade said as we were in her room.

"No wonder I fell well, _bad._" I said, lying back on her couch, hoping I didn't ruin it. "Okay, I just puked in my mouth on my way here. Do you have any mouthwash or something?"

She chuckled. "There is mouthwash near the sink and a clean cup." She pointed to her bathroom.

Bless her. I took a couple of swigs than went back to the living room. In her hand was a glass of water and in the other a cup of coffee. "Here, take either one of these. They will help you feel better."

I took the coffee. "Thanks," I said, taking a sip.

She sat down on the other couch, the one opposite me. "You and Adrian hit the liquor hard last night."

I spat out the coffee I had been drinking. "Who?"

"Adrian. You guys were very—how do I say?—intimate last night." She said, waggling her eyebrows at me.

I knew it. Just my luck to be caught up with Mr. Gorgeous, who hated me. "Just tell me one thing, did we…you know?" I cleared my throat as to make a point.

She laughed. "Well, I only chaperoned until we arrived here. Then you left and he followed. I don't know if anything happened between the time he was gone with you and the time he came back." She smiled. "If anything _did_ happen, you can ask him about the details later." She said, chuckling.

"It's not funny."

"Aww, poor, Rose." She smiled at me. "Don't worry; my brother would never take advantage of a drunken girl."

"First you say that your brother is insane—"

"You didn't seem to think that he was insane last night when you were all over him while you two did a duet to the song _Total Eclipse of the Heart_ by _Bonnie Tyler_."

"I did what with him?!"

She laughed, pulling out her phone. She searched through her videos and then showed me one. Even though I was mad, I could not help but laugh. This video needed to be sent to America's Funniest Videos—or whatever that show was called. I could hear Adrian and me singing, but it sounded more like dogs were barking, rather than people singing.

Laughing only made my headache worse. I groaned. It was like the millionth time I had groaned today. "Jade, can I go sleep on your bed?"

She yawned. "I didn't get enough sleep, but sure you can." She helped me off the couch and led me to her bedroom. Man these Royals were seriously rich. Jade's bed was like three times the size of mine. She took of my shoes and pulled the covers over my head. She reminded of an older sister who was helping her younger sister. It made me want to tear up. "Go to sleep, Rose." She yawned.

"Where are you going to sleep?" I asked, staring to get sleepy.

She smiled. "I am going to go kick Adrian off his bed."

I smiled. "You go do that. Make him pay for making me drink all those tequila shots with him." I stretched. "Remind me not to go binge drinking with him ever again."

She chuckled. "Sleep tight." I heard the door close and I was out.

It was a couple of minutes later that I hear some noise. I heard footsteps near the bed. Someone climbed in bed with me. I turned over to see a sleepy Adrian. Wow, he looked so absolutely adorable as he napped. Once his head hit the pillow, he was out.

He noticed me staring at him. He opened one eye. "I hope you don't mind sharing a bed. Jade kicked me off mine. She said she would rather see a girl and guy share a bed than a girl and girl share a bed." He started dozing off.

Okay? Awkward. He put a hand on my forehead and said, "It's okay; I promise I won't try anything funny." He pressed his hand on my forehead harder and something happened. I didn't feel the hangover headache anymore; I was just very tired. Like I had before, I slept as soon as my head hit the pillow again.

**(Adrian is so gorgeous isn't he?) **

When I heard a banging in the room and a window breaking, I shot out of bed, awake and alerted—all signs of a hangover gone and vanished. There was a Royal Moroi in this room. I had to protect him at all costs. That was the rule of our world. _They come first. _No matter what. Their life was more important than one of a dhampir.

I walked to the hallway, looked left and right, looking for any signs of intrusion. It was to my left, that I most definitely noticed someone had intruded in this room. There was a broken window and a broken window, pieces of glass scattered all over the floor. I marched over to the mess and examined it and the ajar door. Oh my shit. What had happened here? Was someone after Jade—or worse, was someone after Adrian? No, that someone would have to go through me before he could get Adrian or Jade.

Oh, shit!

A sack was pulled over my head.

I screamed to get free. It was useless. A scream would not get me out of here. Hands, Rose, you have hands. God gave them to you for a reason. Use them. I tried clawing at the bag, wishing my nails were the ones that cats had, so that I could rip through the bag and be let free. But, unfortunately, I was a dhampir, who was basically a human.

My kidnapper/attacker picked me up and threw my over his shoulder. I could feel my face close to his pelvic bone. Gross. I wish I had my hands free or else I would have socked him hard, very hard in that area.

Soon, we found ourselves climbing some stairs. A few minutes of climbing, a door was finally opened.

My attacker dropped me on the bed. The sack dropped from my head and I saw who it was.

Stan Alto. The guy I absolutely repulsed.

"What the hell do you want, old man?"

He closed his eyes and then looked at me with eyes filled with lust. "I want to admire you." He started walking closer to me. "I want to look at you." Even closer, he got. "I want to touch you." He was so close now that I edged as far away from him as possible. "I want to love you."

I tried to keep the disgust off of my face, but I knew I had failed. "You sick bastard."

He started unbuttoning his shirt. "You heard me, little girl. I want to love you and touch you. Every part of your body." He licked his lips, dropping his shirt on the ground. "Mmm…I can already taste you."

Bile was forming in the back of my throat. I had it clear in my mind what he was intending to do. He wanted to make me his by force. He wanted to beat me while he did it too. He wanted to rape me.

Oh, no. Hell, if this bastard touched me, I would make sure he lived the rest of his days facing hell. And that hell would be delivered by me.

"You disgusting freak…" I could not find words to finish the rest of the sentence.

He shrugged, unbuttoning his pants as he did. I looked away. I would not look at this man for shit. I started getting goose bumps on my skin. More bile was forming and more fear was starting.

_God, help me._

_What happened to that strong side of you, Rose? Where is that fighting nature of you? Why aren't you stopping this?_ It was the only thing my mind would shout at me. Although I wished to do something, I couldn't. Fear was stopping me. What if I did something that made him mad and he threw me against the wall and started beating me?

He came to sit next to me on the bed. I got away, whimpering as I went. He wrapped his fingers around my hair. "I want to make you feel my pleasure."

I slapped his hand away. "You can't make me feel shit! I feel what I please!"

He got mad. He slapped me across the face. "You bitch! You will do as I say!"

I got up off the bed and started running towards the door. But he was right there, blocking me, hitting me, until I was on the ground.

"You little slut…" He said, slapping me hard on the face. "I will make you pay for that!" He started putting his hands all over my body. It was so gross and disgusting; all I wanted was him off me.

I let tears roll of my eyes. I tried getting his hands off me, but he was too strong. _Where was my will power? Where was the Rose Hathaway, which loved to fight when she was in trouble?_ Not here, obviously. I felt week and like I was made of nothing. In these situations, you lose yourself to the fear and thoughts that are swirling throughout your body. All you can think is…Make it fast and leave me alone to die.

He started to remove my shirt. He had it off and then moved to my pants—

And _that's _when the guy that I had loved came bursting in through the door.

**A/N: Sorry if this chapter was a little disturbing. My apologizes. **

**Anyways, who do you think is going to save Rose? Adrian or Dimitri? Tell me who you think it is? Ooh…Review and you'll see who it is! **


	13. My Gentle Savior

**God, don't know why, but the last part of this chapter made me cry…Enjoy! Ooh! Go vote on the poll on my profile please! I love hearing what you think! **

_**Disclaimer: I don't anything from Vampire Academy, just the characters I have created and the plot I have created!**_

It was the Russian God, Dimitri, that came running into the room. For the first time in my wrecked day, I was_ glad_ to see him. But I was even happier when I saw _him _panting, struggling for breath, stalking into the room, looking more madder than a bull does when it sees red. He took one look at me and then set his murderous eyes on Stan.

Adrian walked up to me. "I'll be right back." He whispered, grabbing this plush blanket and throwing it around me to cover myself.

Adrian ran over to where Dimitri was beating up Stan. Both Adrian and Dimitri got some good punches on Stan. When I looked over, Stan was bleeding a lot. Dimitri cracked the window open and he threw Stan down the window. Oh, hell. I hoped Dimitri didn't get take to jail because of it.

Dimitri didn't seem satisfied with Stan falling down the window. He ran outside, whispering "He is going to die tonight!" while he went.

I gave a sob. This was really scary. Adrian remembered I was here. He ran to the bed, where I laid half naked. And hugs me…and for a moment I just hung on.

"Are you okay, Rose?" He asked, his eyes softening for me.

"Yes," I said, a sob forming in my throat. Why did Stan want to do this to me? Why me? Why not someone else?

"Rose…" He gathered me in his arms and started walking out the door. As I took each painful step, a tear slipped out of my eyes. It felt like I was riding an emotional rollercoaster. I felt mad, sad, and overall weak, weak because I hadn't done anything to help myself. I was glad I had Adrian's strong, supportive arms around me or else I would have fallen to the ground and stayed there until someone picked me up.

"I don't understand; why did he do this to me?" I asked, wiping some tears off my face.

Adrian wiped one of my tears. He was being so gentle with me. He started removing the hair that was sticking on my skin, off my face. "You are a beautiful…it would be hard for any male to resist you."

Great…now this guy thought I was beautiful. Tears leaking out of my eyes, snot all over my face, and this guy was saying I was beautiful? Wow…he was sure something. Something special. Something—or rather someone—that I could spend the rest of my life with, waking up in the morning when our children walked in nosily into our room.

_What the hell are you thinking, Rose?!_

"Thank you." I said to Adrian's comment. And then I started crying again.

"Holy crispy cattle! What happened to Rose?!" Jade asked as soon as she saw them walking, with a worried look on her face.

"That damn bastard tried to rape her!" Adrian spurt out.

I saw Jade's face hardened, hate filling every inch of her face. "Stan?"

Adrian nodded, just as pissed off as Jade.

"That bastard…" Jade said. "Adrian, take Rose to your room and care for her. Our father needs to know about this. We can't let this keep on happening."

Adrian nodded and said, "Come on, Rose. We are almost at my room."

I nodded, letting him lead me forward.

We went into the guest housing building, we had to go up some stairs and then we took an elevator to the second floor. The doors opened and he grabbed my hand and led me forward. He was so gentle with me. I loved him for that.

He took out a set of keys out of his pocket. The keys dangled as he unlocked the door to his room. He opened the door and I walked inside. A couple of guardians dressed all in black were standing in the room.

"Guardian DeMasters and Guardian Willett, go watch Jade's room. I want absolutely nothing happening to my sister." There was tone of authority in his voice.

A guardian nodded and then spoke. "Lord Ivashkov, I will stay here and watch for you. Guardian Willett can go watch over Jade."

"Do what you think is best, Guardian DeMasters." Adrian said, coming back to me where he had left me standing near the couch. He hugged me tight once the guardians were out the door. "Rose, how are you holding up?"

Blood and torn up…well not so great. "Um, I think I'll go back to my room and shower." I started to walk to the door. "Thanks for taking care of me."

"No! Wait! Wait!" He grabbed my wrist and pulled me back to where he was standing. "No, wait. Where do you think you are going?"

I looked at him, confused. "To my room?"

He held me back. "Noo…. You are staying here, until I feel it's safe that you can go back to your room." He looked around. "There is a shower in my room. You can shower here. In the safety of my room." His caring made me want to tear up again. "Come on, my room is over there."

I followed him. "There are fresh towels in there and I'll try to get you some of Jade's clothes." He said and left the room.

**(God, I wish Adrian was my husband…Don't you?)**

I wrapped a towel around myself once I was done removing all blood stains and stains off of my body and I went out of the bathroom. But as I walked, I happened to pass by a mirror. I admired myself in the mirror. There were bruises all over my face. If only I could go to Lissa so that she could heal me. What were people going to say when the noticed my bruises?

I just decided to forget about everything and walked out to his bedroom. I saw a pair of small spandex shorts and a shirt that I am sure belonged to him. He probably had made Jade go do it, but there was a fresh pair of underwear lying next to the shorts and shirt.

I got dressed quickly and after I was done, there was a soft knock on the door. "Come in." I called out, sitting on the bed that was way too inviting.

Adrian smiled when he saw that I was better. A shower always relaxed the tensest of muscles. Sure enough, it relaxed and calmed me down.

"Are you better?" He asked, sitting on the other side of the bed, looking straight at me.

"Yeah." I looked at him seriously at him. "Why do you care so much for me?"

"Well, because I _care _for you." I didn't understand the double meaning in his words now, but later, I understood all too perfect. I don't know why he was feeling those feelings towards me because he had just met me like a month ago. This was just too weird.

I didn't really know what to say. "Do you?"

He nodded. But then he changed the subject. "You sure you're well?"

"Yeah…" I said, bringing my knees up to my chest and resting my chin on them. I felt too fragile right now. I needed something to bring up my spirits and make me forget about the incident earlier.

I was on his bed, and he sitting on the edge, when there was a whimper from somewhere else in the room. I tried raising an eyebrow at him. "What is that?" I asked, getting alerted and scared that it might be the kidnapper again. I was scooting as far away from the door way as possible. The scooting made me closer to him.

He smiled at me, though it was half hearted. "That would be my son."

I was shocked shitless. _He _had a son. Figures. No female on this planet could resist this man. Too bad. "Son?" I asked, making him clarify that he had a son.

He nodded and started walking out the door. "Yeah, my son." He left and then came back.

I started laughing when he set his _son _on the bed. It was a Shih Tzu puppy. This was my first real laugh of the day. The puppy started running to me and started licking my face. It made me giggle. It was always good to have a pet that cheered you up no matter what, a pet you could rely on no matter what the situation.

"Well, Rose. This is my son Alta Baxter Ivashkov." He said, looking at his puppy.

I started playing with the puppy. He seemed to really like me. Then he started growling at me, playfully; he bit my thumb. I teasingly bit his ear; that is why they had taught is to do if you were training a dog. "Wrong, Alta, I am the pack leader."

Adrian laughed. "Hm…my son does like you very much…and we were looking for a mom for him…" he let his voice trail off.

I grabbed the puppy's jaw. "You want me to be your mommy?"

The puppy barked once and started playing around again. "I take that as a yes." Adrian said, smiling at me. For a moment, we caught got in each other's eyes. Still smiling, I turned back to the dog, the butterflies in my stomach making it hard to breathe right. I looked back at him and he still was staring at me. A slight blush crept up to my cheeks, my heart pounding very hard in my chest.

"Rose, look—"

He started leaning closer to me, reaching out his hand to me. He didn't seem like he was controlling his actions right now. He reached, his eyes fixed on me all the while. His bare arm touched my bare skin and tingles started all over my body.

"Rose…that night…I didn't mean…" He was getting closer, closer. I seemed to get caught up in his emerald eyes.

"Rose." He said one last time before his lips were reaching towards mine. It was all done in slow motion. Him reaching for me and me reaching back to him. All I wanted was that kiss…and _him. _

It was like an outside compulsion was making us do things we didn't normally do.

His lips were only centimeter away from mine. I was fighting to keep my face unemotional. My mind was blank…and my mouth was too dry to try and say something. I wished I could stop time and just admire his face, all his features, and every part of him.

There was a hairbreadths space between our lips—

"Adrian! Where are you?" Jade's voice rang out throughout his suite.

Jade saw the scene in front of her. Adrian and I really close, in an intimate position—I could see the wheels turning in her head, a smile spreading over her face. Then I saw a look of regret pass over her face. I thought maybe she was sorry for interrupting.

Adrian sighed, his sweet breath washing all over me, making it even harder to catch my breath. He ran a hand through his hair and looked at Jade. "Yeah? Do you have good news for me?"

She nodded, her face hardening. "Our father said that bastard would get eliminated as soon as possible. He is on his way here"—she looked over my way—"and so is your mother, of course."

Oh, hell. My mother was coming here. That was very bad. I nodded at Jade, though. She came to sit next to me on the bed and wrapped her arms around me in a sisterly hug. She let her arms comfort me for a second. "I am so sorry, Rose. I am sorry he did that to you." She closed her eyes and let her tears fall. "Good thing dad is finally ridding this world from that problem. Although, that would never bring Morgan back." She started crying hard now. "Oh, I miss her so much."

It was my turn to hug her now. "Morgan?"

Adrian was crying as well, though not as hard as Jade was. "Our older sister…who died."

Jade sobbed once and wiped tears off her face. "She didn't die; that stupid god forsaken man—_Stan—_murdered her."

Adrian put an arm on his sister. "Jade…"

"No, Rose has a right to know about this. She is practically part of the family."

"About what?" I asked.

"Well, you see, Stan used to be my mother's guardian. He used to be the best until one day something went into his head. He started getting too intimate with my older sister Morgan. She didn't like it all. She was a very beautiful sister; the best there could ever be." She paused to take a breath. "One day, he wanted her to pleasure him in all ways possible. Of course she denied. Stan got mad and he forced her into it." She closed her eyes and looked at me with eyes filled with horror.

I was horrified. "He did horrible things to her, Rose. You will never get how bad. He even recorded himself doing it. Then, he started beating her up and it got to the point where he had murdered her. He left her body at the door of our house with the tape of what he had done near her body. And he left a note that said: _Jadie, my love, you are next_." She leaned into me for comfort and I let her cry into my shoulder. "I don't really care about myself. It's my sister…I miss her more each day, even though it has been two years since this has happened."

I was horrified, disgusted. I could have been a victim of this. And thankfully Dimitri had come in time. I owed him my life.

Jade stood up. "I am sorry. I need to go outside and take a breather." She didn't look back as she walked away.

I looked back at Adrian, who had his head in his hands. I lay back on the bed. I couldn't think, much less open my mouth to say something. "I am sorry…" I said to Adrian.

"Thank you. It's true what Jade said. We all miss her." I didn't think; I threw my arms around him and held him tightly against me. I started crying and Adrian came to join me on the bed. He hugged me tightly and kissed my forehead, stroking my hair as he did. "It's okay, Rose. Let it all out." And I did. He cried with me and held me all the while.

**Tell me, what did you think of this chapter? Was it dumb, boring…or was it actually interesting? Please be honest. Thanks a gazillion! Please review! **


	14. Because They Are In Love

_**Disclaimer: I don't anything from Vampire Academy, just the characters I have created and the plot.**_

The next day I woke up still in the arms that belonged to Adrian. I didn't want to wake him, so I did not move at all, not even a muscle; I simply looked at him and admired him.

Why do I feel like I have already met Adrian? Why? Just last night I woke up from a _weird _dream that included him and me. But the time it was taking place in, was not now; it had to be at least three hundred years ago since this had happened.

"_Madam Rose, Mr. Ivashkov is here to see you." My servant, Jeanne, said coming into my bedchamber with her head bowed. I treated all of my servants—well, my father's and mother's servants—fairly well. It was just Jeanne who was most intimidated by me. To me, though, she was the best servant I had ever had. _

"_Jeanne, please let him in." I gathered my skirts and started wondering about my room, grabbing perfume and powder to beautify myself as much as possible for my lad. I walked to my wall-length mirror and looked over myself once more. _

_Even thought it was just me speaking, I had to admit I was beautiful. I had the gentlest pair of brown eyes, which reminded my lad of warm summer nights. My mother had passed on her great body and features well as my father had passed down his cunningness to me. They had created the most perfect daughter. _

"_Ms. Mazur, your lord is here." Jeanne said, bowing her head once more and leaving me with my lover. _

_I looked behind me to meet the most perfect pair of green eyes that belonged to the young man that was dressed like he had come from the Renaissance Faire. With all the light in the room, those eyes that I loved drowning in, reminded me of the purest of Emeralds. Like me, he was quite beautiful himself. He had the greatest shape, and he had the most perfect pair of lips, whom I kissed every night. _

_He smiled as soon as my eyes encountered his. "I see you are as happy to see me, as I am." He looked deep into my eyes as he grabbed my hand and turned it over and kissed it with a passion that only he could give. "You are beautiful as always, my lady." _

_I smiled with great cunningness. "Prove to me the love you feel towards me as you promised the other night…" I let that sentence trail off. _

"_Will do as wished, my lady." He said, gathering me in his arms and taking me to the bed. _

"_Oh, Adrian! You are my world, my heart, my only love!" I said as he and I finished our scene of romancing. _

"_Rose, you are my only Rose, the Rose that has ever touched my heart so deeply!" He leaned down to give me gentle kisses on the lips. _

"_I am sure if we were to be separated by death…" I couldn't finish the sentence; pleasure and passion was passing through me, the passion and pleasure only he could bring me. _

"…_that we would recognize each other just by a simple look into one another's eyes. Nothing could ever come between us. Nothing. Not even death. This is not just another _romance _between a pair in this world; this is epic love. Epic love…what we share and always will." He said, finishing the sentence for me and making love to me once more..._

_I am sure if we were to be separated by death…that we would recognize each other just by a simple look into one another's eyes. _

I gasped right out loud.

Adrian stirred, waking, and putting his green eyes on me. But that just brought another…_vision? _to my head.

_I looked at the bloody mess in front of me. _Damien_ had done this. He had eliminated the love of my life in order for him to have me. But he was not going to have me as I was dying next to my Adrian. _

_No! I hadn't realized I had said this aloud when he spoke again. It was a bare whisper, though. He put his hand to my cheek. "My Rose, this isn't goodbye. It will never be goodbye between you and I." He closed his eyes; I was losing him. And I could not do anything to stop it. "You know that nothing will ever keep us apart. Death will just make our souls' connection much stronger than it already is." _

"_Adrian…" I sobbed out. "Don't leave me. I am begging you." I said, crying onto his chest. He gasped out and I realized I had hurt his already wounded chest. _

"_Oh, Rose…" I was going to lose my Adrian any second. This could not be happening. I could not bear to lose him! _

"_Adrian, don't leave me. I can't live without my heart and soul when you are taking them with you!" _

_He smiled, though it was a huge struggle for him. "Even though we are not together, our souls will be." He was closing his eyes. "And I swear I will keep on looking for you until I find you in our next lives." He started coughing up a lot of blood. _

"_I love you, don't you ever forget that." _

_It took a few tries so that he could get a word out. And it was: "I will find you again, Rose." His eyes opened and Emerald was all I saw before I saw nothing more. _

"Rose!" Adrian was shaking me out of the vision. He sounded and looked really worried. He started shaking me. "Rose, are you okay?"

I had to shake myself a couple of times in order to answer him. "Um…do you believe in past lives?"

He looked at me like I was growing a pig on top of my head. "Rose…are you okay?" He looked into my eyes—in the very back of them, very faintly, I could see him trying to hide something.

I hated when they answered my questions with another question. I got mad at him and I hoped it didn't show on my face. "You know what? Thank you for your kindness and for taking care of me, but I think I need to leave." I said, with an uneager desire to want to get out of the comfortable bed.

He nodded, understanding _too_ well what was wrong with me. "Can I at least walk you to your dorm?"

I didn't really want to deal with him right now. But that didn't stop me from letting him tag along.

_**Adrian's POV - Some Hours later**_

"Seriously, Eddie. The girl I love worries me too much. You just don't understand." Eddie Castile and my younger sister, Jade, were the best of friends. Therefore, Eddie and I were the best of friends. Even though we were like four years apart, I still treated him as if he were my age.

"I do understand—to my some extent. I used to care a lot about Mia and I used to worry a lot about her. Maybe it's love."

"Used to?" I questioned. Last I heard Mia and Eddie were so into each other and were happily in a relationship.

"Yeah. Mia and I broke up." He put some of his poker cards on the table.

I nearly fell off my seat. "I heard some things about her—"

"Don't believe what other people say…"

"—and those things eventually turned out to be true."

"Oh." I said, randomly shuffling the cards. "What kind of things were they?"

"That she was sleeping around." He shrugged. "Whatever. I found another chick that I could be enthused with."

"Oh, yeah?" I asked not really paying attention to anything. This had to be the most boring night of my life. "Who is that _chick_?"

Eddie smiled and you could tell he really liked this girl. "You know her. Her wild, impulsive side makes it hard on anyone not to love her."

"And who is this?" I said, starting to pay more attention to him now. _Impulsive_…there was only _one _girl that I knew that was really impulsive. And that was—

"Rose." Eddie said, finishing my thought. "I think I have fallen cleanly for Rose."

Oh. This was not happening. Rose was strictly mine.

"_Rose, viata mea, inima mea,sufletul meu, femeia mea, iubirea mea numai! A mea, numai a mea!_" Rose, my life, my heart, my soul, my woman, my only love! Mine, only mine!

Eddie was so going to die if he thought he could take my woman.

I leaned over to his side of the table and gripped his collar.

"If you touch my woman, I swear I will castrate you with my own hands!" I said in a deadly tone.

Eddie looked more freaked out than ever. "Adrian…I get the warning. Don't touch, Rose."

I let go of his shirt. "Exactly." Poor Eddie. He was probably scared shitless. How could I make him feel comfortable again? Oh, yeah! Party at my crib! Get him drunk with you and you guys will be on good terms again.

"Look, do you really like Rose so much?" Eddie said, setting his serious eyes one my face.

"No, Eddie, I don't like her at all." He gave me a WTF look. "I don't like her. I love her!"

He chuckled and so did I. "Crazy. Love makes you crazy." For a second, Eddie seemed lost in thought.

"Yes, it does." I said remembering the night Rose and I met.

"Alright." Eddie said slamming his fist on the table. "I know how you can see if Rose likes you back."

I leaned back on my chair and crossed my arms over my chest. "Impress me…"

And Eddie came up with the most brilliant idea. All I could do was smile.

_Oh, Rose, my darling love, you are in for a good one this time. _

I rubbed my hands, eager for later tonight.

_**Rose's POV**_

"Wait, what?!" I had been so distracted all day with the visions that I did not get one spec of what Lissa was talking about.

"I said, _your mother is here!_"

"What?!" God, what could have made her come here? Had I done something bad again? Then I remembered. Stan. I think my mother was here to murder Stan.

My phone rang. I answered and the other line revealed an angry mother. "Rose Hathaway! Why didn't you tell me about that gay dumbass trying to rape you?!" My angry mother said, making my ears hurt.

"Hi to you too, mother!" I took a breath. "Jeez, mom, calm down. He didn't get far before Guardian Belikov snapped him like a bitch!"

"Rose, this isn't time for your weird insanities!" She seemed to get angrier by the second. "Talk to you later! I have to go kill someone!"

"Mom! Don't—" but she had already hung up. I put my phone back into my pocket and looked back at the expectant Lissa.

"Your mom sounded mad."

"No shit? You think." I sighed. "So what was up with Eddie and Jade and Mia?"

"Oh. Eddie and Mia broke up and now Mia is with Adrian and Jade is with Eddie."

Before I looked at Lissa with wide eyes I started choking. "What did you just say? Mia is going out with whom?" Oh, no. I had just made a new enemy. Mia was so going to die for stealing my man.

I could feel Lissa trying to hide something through the bond. "Yeah. Mia and Adrian are a thing right now. It just barely started like some hours ago. So I don't think they have gone far."

I didn't want to imagine what she meant by _far_. If Mia touched my man, I swear she would not live to see tomorrow.

"Rose, are you okay? You seem…jealous of Mia. Aren't you happy for your friend?"

I plastered a huge fake smile. "Lissa, of course I am happy for Mia…and Adrian. Nothing would make me happier than my friend's happiness." Not.

She chuckled. "Well, I have to go meet Christian." She started to walk away but then turned back. "I'll see you later tonight at Adrian's place."

"Where?"

"At Adrian's."

"For what?"

She looked confused. "Didn't Adrian invite you for a movie night tonight in his room?" She answered her own question. "Well, then. I just invited you." She waved. "See you later!"

%%%%%%

"Your brother is annoying the shit out of me!" I said as soon as I stalked into Jade's room. It had been some time since Lissa and I had chatted and I was still annoyed with him.

"Thank you so much for telling me you were coming." Jade said sarcastically.

"Sorry, but your brother is causing to act so un -Rose."

"My brother is annoying you?" She chuckled. "You didn't seem to think that last night when I caught you _almost_ kissing." She shook her head. "Don't you wish I hadn't interrupted your guys little love scene?"

I went to go sit on the couch and threw a pillow at her. "Fuck you. And no. I don't wish that. As a matter of fact, I wish just the opposite. I want him out of my life."

"Oh, Rose. But he already is in so deep."

"Deep where?"

"So deep in love with you." She smiled mischievously. "Of course, when you open those scrawny legs of yours, he will be in very deep. And I mean physically now." She started chuckling just as cheekily as her smile had been.

I rolled my eyes and threw another sofa cushion at her. "Doesn't he just wish?"

"Oh, he wishes more than that."

A knock on the door stopped me from saying another word to her. She stood up and went to go answer the door for Eddie. She leaned over and gave him a kiss on the lips. "Hey, sexy. Glad you could make it." I heard Jade say.

"Well, I wouldn't miss a night to spend time with you, my beauty."

She giggled and then turned back to me. "Rose, are you coming?"

"Where?"

"My brother's room." She gave that cunningness of hers again. "So that you can give him the chance to go deep." She winked at me.

I rolled my eyes at her lame joke, but followed her, nonetheless.

"Come in, lovelies!" Christian said, answering the door, which we knocked on.

"Hey, sweet fire. I missed your _burning_ love last night. Where were you?" Jade said to Christian.

"Sorry. I was with my sexy blonde over here."

"Getting it on?" Jade asked so seriously that I had to laugh.

"You know it, babe." I wasn't surprised my friends had liked Jade so fast. She was one of those people that were easy to love.

"Oh, Adrian! You are such a sweetheart! I love you, babe!" I heard Mia's doll voice come from inside the room somewhere.

Adrian chuckled and kissed the top of her forehead.

"Everyone get comfortable; the move is starting." Lissa said, joining her lover-flame on the couch. Everyone got settled in with their boyfriend or girlfriend. Lissa and Christian sat on the floor. Jade and Eddie sat on a lazy chair. And Mia and Adrian sat a couch that was a little bit bigger than a loveseat.

Mia sat on Adrian's lap. She patted the empty seat beside them. "Rose, you can come sit here. Adrian doesn't bite, I promise."

Adrian winked at me and I went to go sit next to them with a dread in my heart.

All throughout the movie, I was distracted by Adrian and Mia and their little affections and caresses. I wanted to break off Mia's hands while she touched Adrian's body. At one point, Lissa paused the movie because they were going to make more popcorn. Thankfully, Mia got off Adrian.

"Rose, you look awfully bad." Adrian commented.

"Oh, so now you are talking to me?"

He looked confused for a second. "I have always been talking to you."

"No, you ignored me ever since I walked in through that door. And now you want to talk to me?"

"Sorry if I did something wrong…"

"Sorry. My ass!" I said standing up and going to the door.

Adrian stopped me.

I threw his hands off me. "Get your damn hands off me before I break them off you!"

"Rose, what did I do to you?"

"Fuck you, Adrian!" I was so mad. And the worst part of all was that I didn't know why.

Adrian finally gave up. "Fine then. You want to be a bitch. Go bitch somewhere else." He said, opening the door and gesturing out.

I glared at him. The madness in me was boosting up like hell. I shoved him against the wall. "Don't ever call me a bitch again!"

"Well, you are one."

That's when I lost it.

I started attacking Adrian like a lion does when someone doesn't let him out of his cage.

And he didn't do anything to stop me.

"Why are you guys fighting?!" Mia asked, putting her hand on me to calm me.

But I couldn't be calm. I wanted Adrian under my hands, under me.

It was Jade who answered. You had to strain to hear her, though. She looked at us, nodded, a small smile forming on her face. "Because they are in love…"

**So tell me, what did you think of this chapter? Oh, and what did you guys do for April fools? Hope you guys liked the chapter! Review…for more! **


	15. Denied Feelings

_**Disclaimer: **__**I**__** don't anything from Vampire Academy, just the characters **__**I**__** have created and the plot.**_

"Because they are in love…simple as that." Jade repeated again. I could see her trying to hide a smile as she looked at her expressionless brother.

Adrian and I glared at nothing. But the answer of _yes we are _was very obvious in the air. Our eyes met. Then, we looked away from each other. Then back again at each other.

Of course, everything Jade had just said was true. It was beyond true. It was a damn fact. I loved Adrian Ivashkov to death. All those denied feelings finally showed up in the form of love, a love that took your breath away and swelled your heart a million times its original size. A love that was pure and most of all simple. I loved him and needed him more than I needed air…water…food. I loved him more than I had loved that scumbag Dimitri. I need and love him. I am completely gone for him. My visions were trying to send me a message: _You love Adrian Ivashkov, dumbass! _

But, still. I denied it. "I don't love him!" I don't know why but I was starting to get angry again. "No. We are not in love! I have never been in love! And I don't plan on falling in love. Not now, not ever!" I said leaving the room and slamming the door.

A bunch of lies where what I had just said. Maybe I should go to the chapel and pray and tell God to forgive me for lying as so.

I noticed that the little white church had the little white crosses—that meant that someone had died recently. Maybe I should stop on in, say a couple of prayers. And talk to God like he is there.

Or maybe I just shut up and die.

No.

If I died, I wouldn't live to see Adrian's pretty face ever again.

I sighed and then started running with no destination in mind. I just knew that I had to run. Run away from all the problems. I didn't realize where they hell I was going until I slammed into Dimitri's door. I knew he was off duty right now and I just had to see him. He was the one friend I could trust.

Nothing could have prepared me for what I saw when I opened the door.

"Oh, Dim…itri!" A young lady that was definitely not Tasha screamed out as Dimitri did some things with her.

They apparently had not noticed me there.

I got mad again. First off, Dimitri had thrown me away so that he could go with Tasha and no he was throwing away Tasha so that he could be with this…girl? She looked a year younger than me. How could he do that?

I was disgusted.

I walked up to the bed and pried the girl off him. "Dimitri…you lying bitch! What the fuck, man?!"

"Rose…" He scrambled out and struggled to cover himself. Who would care of covering themselves when they were already busted?

I went up to him and slapped him. "What the hell? I thought you were with Tasha?" It sounded like a question more than an answer.

"I am!" He ran a hand through his hair. He grabbed my hand and I pulled it away. "Rose…Roza…Please! Please! Don't tell Tasha about this."

"Don't worry. I am not going to say shit. I don't even like that bitch." I shook my head. "But…how could you do this? First you claim you love someone and then you go sleeping around behind that someone's back. How long has this been going on?"

At least he was honest. "Two days after I got here."

I was astounded. Beyond words. "I can't believe you would do something like that." I shook my head and let my tears roll off of my face. "I thought you were someone different. Someone good. I looked up to you. But I guess we are all wrong sometimes."

I felt pure deception. And Dimitri had caused that deception. "No one is ever what they seem to be." I said and left.

I was truly alone now. I felt like shit.

I went to the nearest bench and cried.

_**Adrian's POV**_

"I can't say I didn't try because you know I did." Jade said as she walked towards the door.

Everyone except Jade had left. I just wanted everyone gone so that I could be alone.

Jade hugged me one last time and left.

With nothing else to do, I went to my bedroom, stripped down to my boxers and climbed into my bed and soon, I was having those damn visions again, the ones I had been having ever since I was five. It was now that I realized who the girl was. It was Rose. Of course.

"_Adrian…you seem so different, sweetheart. Almost as if you finally found who were meant to be with." My mother's eyes beamed as she sat down next to me. It was her who I had inherited my immense beauty from. My mother was the most beautiful woman in my world, until Rose came into my world that is. Rose…her name said it all. She was sharp as a rose's thorn, fierce and strong, but most of all, she was as beautiful as a red, red rose. _

_I smiled like I owned the world. And quite frankly, I did. Rose was my world and I had her so that I could love her till the end of times. "Yes, mother. You guessed right. I found the woman I was meant to be with." _

_She leaned over to hug me and kiss me on the cheek. "True love does come one day. I remember when I met your father…" She looked at my look and she chuckled. "Don't worry; I won't bore you with nonsense." _

_It was my turn to laugh. I stood up and leaned down to kiss her cheek. "I would _love _to hear about you and dad but I have a date." _

_She stood up as well and led me to the door, kissing me on the cheek once more as I left. "Be safe, sweetheart!" She called out as she watched me go out the door. _

_I walked to Rose's house with a huge smile on my face. Finally this girl agrees to come on a date with me! She had been so stubborn, until one day, she caved for my charms. I, on the other hand, had caved for _her _charms a long time ago. Ever since our fathers introduced us ten years ago, I had been in love with her. On some nights, I would dream about our future together. Our wonderful wedding. Our beautiful kids. And our amazing love. _

_I knocked on the Mazur's door. The woman who had given life to my beautiful Rose answered the door. _

"_Good morning, Mr. Ivashkov." Rose's mother greeted me as polite as always. _

"_Mrs. Mazur, such a very good morning, since I am going to see your daughter quite soon." I looked around and saw Rose nowhere in sight. "Speaking of your daughter, would you have any idea where she would be?" _

_She looked at me with wonder in her eyes. "Oh, young love is so romantic." She chuckled, closing her eyes. I knew she was remembering the same thing my mother was; their good days of young love. "Oh, I miss those days as the years go by." She sighed. _

_I laughed. "Mrs. Mazur, sorry to disturb your reminisce, but I would appreciate it much if you told me where I could my Rose."_

_She smiled. "Sorry, Adrian dear. Rose is out in the back. Be on your way. Don't mind me more." _

_I gave a bow of and made my way to where my Rose was. _

_The Mazur's owned a house that was surrounded by grasslands and orchards and nature. There was even a small stream that passed through their property. Rose loved to spend her free time here outdoor. "It calms me" she once had said. In truth, Rose had always loved the outdoors as well as I. _

_I stopped dead in my tracks as I noticed the most beautiful scene in front of me. _

_It was Rose under a large oak tree surrounded by those fields of yellow Phalaenopsis that we planted one summer a few years back. She had her eyes closed and she was barefooted, the sunshine shining on her face. She looked like an angel that was designed to save me. _

"_Adrian…" I was close enough to hear her sigh my name. She opened her eyes and started plucking out the petals of the flower she was holding which was a yellow sunflower. _

"_Adrian loves me." A petal came down._

"_He loves me not." Another petal._

"_He loves me." One more petal. _

_On it went till she was to her last petal. A frown formed on her face when she noticed it was her last petal. "He loves me not." _

_This was my time to interrupt. I pretended to act like I had not witnessed her little scene. "Rose?" I called out._

_She stood up immediately fixing her summer dress. "Adrian?" She started running her hands through her hair, fixing it, trying to make it better because it was filled with grass and lots of petals. "I forgot you were coming. I wish my mother would have reminded me. I am a mess. How embarrassing." _

_I smiled. Didn't she know she looked most beautiful to me when she was an utter mess? To me, _that _was real beauty. "Don't worry, my Rose. No matter what you are wearing, you will still look beautiful to me."_

_She blushed, looking away. "Thank you. You are sweet, you know." _

_I walked up to her and started stroking her hair, her cheeks, her face. "Not as sweet as you are?" I titled her face up. "Tell me, what would you do if I kissed those sweet lips of yours?" _

_Her blush turned to a much darker red. "We'll find out soon…" I pressed my lips to hers and she indulged me with the most melodious kiss ever. _

_She lifted her palm to cup my cheek. "This is where it all starts. This is where strong love grows." She looked up into my eyes. _

"_I couldn't agree with you more, my Rose." I brought her closer to me and she sighed in my arms. I rested my chin on the top of her head. _

_I thought of an idea and let her go. I grabbed her hand and started running to the nearby creek. "Oh!" She didn't except me to start running. _

_It was a short run, though. _

"_Wow, Adrian. You really are something." She said, fixing her dress._

"_Thank you for your wondrous words, my lady." I said, winking at her. _

_She rolled her eyes. That's my girl. _

_I gave her a quick peck on the lips. _

_I reached down to grab a small pebble. I held it up for Rose's inspection. "A rock? Why do you want to give me a rock?" She asked as I held it out to her._

"_You have to do the honors." _

_She looked incredulous. "For what?" _

_I walked up behind her and hugged her to me, pressing her back against my chest. "Like you said." I breathed in, inhaling her honeyed scent. "Throw the rock in the stream so that we can have a marking for where our love began." _

_She titled her head back and looked at me, a smile spreading on her face. "Adrian…" Tears started rolling down her cheeks. "You are truly something special." _

_I pressed my lips with hers and they merged together. "Alright…" She threw the rock into the going stream. "There goes our marking of love…" _

_She broke free from my arms and started walking back to the big oak tree. When we got there, she spoke. "Do you remember that this is where we shared our first kiss?"_

_I started walking towards her and she started walking backwards. She ended up with her back against the tree. Just where I wanted you, my dear. I put both arms on either side of her so that she couldn't go anywhere. I pressed my nose to her. "Of course…How could I not remember? You were the one who forced it out of me?" _

_She started chuckling. "Well! We weren't making a move! So I had to!" _

_I looked deep into her eyes. I lifted my hand to remove the hair out her eyes. "So now admit it my, summer rose-blossom, admit that you do love me." _

_She looked away. "Why do you ask a question when you already know the answer?" _

_I forced my eyes on hers. "I never asked a question." I reached down till I encountered her hand. I intertwined her fingers with mine and brought it up to my face to kiss it. "Tell me, Rose. Tell me that you love me." _

_She closed her eyes and smiled. "Adrian Ivashkov?"_

"_Yes?" I waited expectantly._

"_I want to tell you how much I love…" She was using her teasing tone. I knew she was up to something. "I want to tell you how much I love that stylish brown hair you have." _

_She started giggling and more giggles started when I tickled her to the ground. I pinned her under me. "What did you want to tell me?" I loved teasing her too. _

_It all came out in a rush. "Adrian! Stop! I'll say it." She paused to catch her breath. "I love you!" She whispered. She really didn't like showing or expressing her emotions._

"_I'm sorry, I didn't hear you well. May you repeat it?" _

_She wined, struggling to get out of my reach. "Adrian!"_

"_What did you say, my love?"_

"_I LOVE YOU!" _

_I kissed her tantalizingly. "That's what I wanted to hear." _

_Our teasing kiss turned into something more. "I love you, Adrian. Don't ever forget that." _

_I pressed my lips against hers as we laid on the grassy hill. "No, Rose. I won't ever forget. You have touched my heart so deeply." We didn't say anything more. But we did enjoy our moment together. _

God, I do love her.

I awoke from my vision with a smile.

I had to find my Rose now to tell her just how much I loved her.

**Aww…this has been the chapter that I had most fun writing. Please review and tell me what you thought of this chapter. I thought it was sweet…how about you?**

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	16. Soul Mates

**For people who are confused…please read here. Okay so in the chapter before the previous one Eddie came up with the idea that if he Adrian got Rose jealous, she would show her true feelings towards him. Jade and Eddie aren't officially going out. Lissa and Christian are. Adrian only used Mia so that he could get Rosie jealous. But as you know, it didn't go that way. Instead of getting Rose jealous, he got her mad at him. And he got mad as well. So it was kind of like Idea-Gone-Wrong kind of thing. Sorry for the confusion. Oh and the visions are in no specific order or anything like that. They are all different times, different lifetimes that Adrian and Rose had and **_**will**_** have. Confusing, I know. Have any questions…just ask me. :) **

_**Disclaimer: I don't anything from Vampire Academy, just the characters I have created and the plot.**_

I got frustrated again. I stood up from the bench and I started walking all over.

In my haste, I ran into Dimitri. And he tried to apologize. "Rose, I am sorry."

"Sorry for what?"

"I am really, truly sorry for upsetting you."

He tried to get my forgiveness and he tried hard.

But I didn't listen. "It's your life, you can live it however you want, Guardian Belikov," I said, trying to use some manners and respect my elders. I turned around and started walking in the direction he wasn't going to. I started walking again. Faster and faster, until I just stopped and collapsed. I leaned again the wall and slid down to the ground and just sat there. And started crying again.

I groaned. Another vision would start again at any second.

_It was a nice castle, I had to admit. It was like the one my father owned, but this castle beat ours in size and in luxury. I hated these Royal get-togethers. Sometimes I'd rather eat glass than be here. But, of course, I had to come or else my father or mother would not be pleased with me. As the first-born daughter of the king of London, I was required to marry the first-born son of another Royal family, the one that ruled the other side of London._

_I hated being a Royal, important family. All you had to do was follow some dumb rules._

"_Hey, lovely lady." _

_The voice caressed my skin. Ever since I had seen him a couple of weeks ago, I had been having this weird feeling every time I thought of him. And ever since that day, I knew we caught onto something. _

_I turned around and met the eyes of the young Ivashkov Prince._

"_Yes?"I looked him up and down. He seemed like a good time. _

_He shrugged. "A lovely lady is never something I can resist." _

_I didn't let my expression change. I just rolled my eyes._

_Adrian Ivashkov and I had met last month at another Royal event. He had a smile that took me to another planet. It was like a fairytale when I met him. _

_He smiled and leaned over to whisper in my ear. "Meet me by the gazebo by the lake." He kissed below my ear. I shivered in desire. The power of love. Oh, hell. Did I just say _the power of love?

_Rose Mazur, you are so gone for this guy. _

_I looked around to see if anyone was watching or had witnessed our little scene. My father would blow up and my mother would melt of mortification if they ever saw me with an Ivashkov. It would be a disgrace to our kind of Royal family. He was Royal, yes, but he was not the kind of Royal that I was supposed to keep in contact with. _

_I hurried as fast as my legs allowed. I did one last look over as to see if anyone was watching me and scurried out the door._

_The sky was really beautiful. The moon and stars were shining much brighter than usual. Or maybe it was that love struck people saw the world differently. They saw the world with much light, rather than doom. _

_I smiled formed on my face as I continued walking._

_The gazebo wasn't that far away from the castle. But that didn't mean I had to walk a little. I had to walk half a mile through clean path until a wooden gazebo came into view. Candles were brightening the darkened night. The moon's or the star's light could not reach this gazebo to light it. _

_I walked up to the gazebo, climbing the few stairs, wondering why he wasn't there yet. Nearby, I could hear the sound of running water. The brook was so close to the gazebo, it was like the gazebo was practically floating in the water. The water looked inviting. A swim would be nice._

_I dared to take off my shoes and submerge my toes in the warm water. I went around the shore to see if my legs would hit a rock, but all I encountered was sand. It was very nice. _

_As I distracted myself with the water, someone put their hands over my eyes. "Guess who?"_

_He didn't wait for my reply. He spun me around and kissed me, long and hard. He made me breathless, my head spin, and made my body feel like it was on fire. I could not deny it anymore. I was in love with this guy. And it was like I_ knew_ him. Like we had met each other in another life or something. That had to be the explanation for feeling like I had met him before._

"_Oh, dear God, forgive me for sinning more." I whispered as I took his lips again. _

_He chuckled, pulling away. "What have you done? Have you sinned your share of sins already?"_

"_My, I think I surpassed the amount of sins I was allowed to sin." I grabbed his head in between both of my hands. "Oh, please let me sin once more by kissing those great lips of yours." _

_He did as told. _

_But then, I had to stop. I am sure I would be dead if someone caught me kissing this indecent boy. _

_A sad expression washed over my face._

_He grabbed my hand and led me back to the gazebo. He sat on a bench and took me in his arms, sitting me next to him. "My beauty, why the change in mood?" He asked, stroking my hair, my cheeks, my lips, my face._

"_Oh, Adrian!"_

"_Tell me."_

_I closed my eyes. "We can't be together." _

"_Why not?" He looked horrified from that idea. _

"_I am a Mazur. I am destined to marry the first born son of the Ashton-Hughes." _

_He pressed his forehead to mine. "And I am required to marry the daughter of Mr. Areda-Meraz." He pounded his fist on his leg. "Damn! Why can't we live in a different world, one where we could choose who we marry?"_

_I stopped him from hitting his leg again. I brought his hand to my lips and kissed it. "No matter what time we live in, we always will have to abide by many rules. Rules that will always keep us apart."_

"_No, Rose. There will be a lifetime where we _will _be together. I swear there will be a lifetime where we will be together." He intertwined my hand with his and put them over his heart. "At least if not, you will always live here, here in the safety of my heart."_

_I looked seriously into his eyes. "My soul will always know you and recognize you, no matter what." I sighed. "No matter how many lives you have and no matter how many times your appearance changes, I will always know it's you." I gave him a fast kiss. "They say the soul only lives in the eyes and eyes never change, even if your appearance does." _

_He looked into my eyes. "I will know it is you because no one could ever have brown eyes as beautiful as yours, my beauty." He said, kissing my eyelids. _

_I gave a small cry. "We are talking like we are saying goodbye. What's the urgency? We still have tonight to be together. And who knows? Maybe we will have some other nights and days together. Who knows what the future holds for us?" _

_He smiled mischievously. "I sure hope this isn't our last night together." I knew he was suggesting something. "Because they're a lot of wonderful things I love doing in the night." _

_I smiled as he leaned over to kiss me. Who knew what the future held for us? I looked up at him once more and into his green eyes. The mixed feelings started again as I looked into his deep, green eyes. _

I woke up from my vision and met none other than_ his _green eyes.

Can't sleep?" A deep, sexy said.

Startled, I turned around and gazed upon the person in back of me. "Oh, what do _you _want?" I said, looking away, not letting him see my tears. I wiped them off.

"So sorry on how I acted earlier." He seemed _really _sorry.

I didn't say anything. But after a while I decided to. I gave a huge smile, deciding to forget about the whole incident earlier. Shouldn't I be the one apologizing since it was me who was beating up on him?

"It's okay, and thanks for apologizing," I said, looking around. "I am sorry, too."

"Sorry for what?" He smiled.

"Well, I did beat you up." I was not behaving with my normal Rose Hathaway attitude. What was wrong with me? I couldn't think of a good enough question to ask him. I couldn't even think of a good conversation to start with him. I settled with the dumbest question ever. "Why are you here?"

He chuckled again. But his expression changed. "I came out here. . . I don't know, something just told me to come out here." He said, admiring my face for a second, his eyes boring into mine intently.

I looked at him, a question in my eye. I raised my eyebrow at him. He just shrugged and gave that nice laugh of his again. He turned to me and gave me that smile again, that smile that made my insides warm, that smile that made me lose my thoughts, a smile that made my heart flop all over inside my chest.

"Oh, okay. I guess we are all weirdos." It wasn't even that funny, but he still laughed. He was one of those guys that was very cool and fun and acted careless, but when it came to it, he was one of the most caring guys ever. He chuckled again.

And, in that moment, I knew. I knew that I had fallen in love with him, just as he had fallen in love with me.

The word love made me remember Dimitri. I was sad once more.

His green eyes became very gentle and he sat down next to me. "Something is bothering you; tell me what's wrong."

I took a deep breath. "Nothing is wrong," I said, scooting away from him, and trying to stand up.

He grabbed my wrist and brought me closer to him, so close that I was practically sitting on his lap. "I am glad that Jade said that…the part where she said that we are in love…it made me realize something." He said, looking away.

"What did it make you realize?" Since I was sitting on his lap (practically sitting), I had to pull back and twist my face so that I could look at his face which was quite gorgeous in the moonlight.

Was this a reenactment of the vision I had earlier? It was all there. The moonlight. Him sitting next to me and holding me. We just needed the puffy dresses and the gazebo and the lake whatever you wanted to call it.

He looked so earnestly into my eyes that it was hard to look away. "I do love you, Rose. I loved since that day you bumped into me that one day. Every night, I would sleep thinking of you. Every morning I would wake up thinking about you. Every part of me longed for you."

"And you know what?" I said, my hand going to his cheek and cupping it. "I love you…a lot more…than I have ever loved anyone. I love you, Adrian Ivashkov." I said.

"And I love you more, Rosemarie Hathaway." His eyes were all that I saw as he leaned in closer to kiss my lips for the first time. Every part of me never wanted to stop. I wanted to keep on kissing Adrian forever and ever. Why was love so complicated? No, why was _life_ so complicated?

"Rose," he sighed against my lips, "I love you." We kept saying _I love you _so much—it would probably be the only thing we would say for a while.

The sweetest of the sweetest kiss was given to me by him. There was no other—absolutely no other man—that could bring me as much love as Adrian brought me. When you see your soul mate you _know_…that's what happened to Adrian and me. We were soul mates! We will never be happy without each other anymore! Oh, God, I love him! That's why I kept having all these visions of him and me in different times. Souls…they always found each other.

Maybe my vision was trying to tell me that we were destined to be together in this lifetime. Who knew? One thing was for sure. And that was…

"I love you, Adrian."

"I love _you_, Rose." He said, leaning down to give me another sweet kiss that I surely enjoyed.

**Did you think it was lame…or what? Hopefully, you did like it. One more chapter like those coming up! And then the action starts! **

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	17. Sweet Love Night

**So here is the next chapter! Sorry it took so long to update but I needed an idea for where they first met. And stuff. So, like always, tell me what you think. And sorry for the typos and stuff. I always like writing and updating in the night because I get more inspired during the night. Thanks and please review! **

**I wish I owned VA but I don't! **

"Did you know?"

"What?" I asked, looking at our hands intertwined on my lap.

"That this is where we first met."

I laughed. "Of course, it had to be here. Karma is a real bitch, isn't it?"

He shook his head. "No, I think Karma is wonderful." I wanted to say something but he silenced me with a kiss. "If not for it, we would have never met." I nodded and reached up to his lips.

"Do you know what the palmers touch is?"

"No…should I know?"

"It is something that all soul mates experience. When they touch, palm to palm, they share a vision. The vision where they first met. Where their souls connected first."

He put his palm on my palm so that we were touching with only our palms. Skin contact pulled us both into the same vision.

_The first time…_

_I laughed once more at my best friend Lea. I was the future shaman of the tribe. I was supposed to be civilized and calm, but I was anything but. I was more of an impulsive girl. A girl who liked—no, well loved—I was a girl who _loved_ to have fun. Lea was more of the calm one. _

_Lea was a pretty girl. She had eyes the color of spring. A better term, she had Jade green eyes. She had golden, blonde hair. Her looks made her look fierce but she was as mild as a newborn baby. She was pretty, but I was beautiful. Long, dark brown hair that almost looked black. Brown eyes that were as beautiful as the falling leaves in the autumn. I was beautiful according to most males in the tribe._

_Both Lea and I had been borne into the Tribe of the Untamed Winds. It was a very natural tribe. We followed all rules our ancestors had left. Occasionally, I would like to amend to some of the rules. _

_"Lea…I don't know what to do other than laugh."Poor Lea. Her mother and father had already chosen who she was to mate. And it was the most unattractive lad our tribe had to offer. His name was Ceht, who had the bluest eyes in the tribe. I looked down at the bowl near my legs. Lea and I were supposed to be gathering food for the feast later on. Mother Kira was going to be mad. Old ladies got mad for whatever reason. _

_"Rosio, I am not the only one who has to find a mate soon." _

_"I am soon to be shaman; I can't be mating with males. It is against the religion." _

_She looked up at me with envious eyes. "Why do you always get everything you want?"_

_"I was born to have—"_

_I was cut short by a commotion from the river. Both Lea and I decided to go investigate what was happening. She dropped the bowl she was holding and she grabbed my hand and began running towards the cave where a crowd was gathering. _

_I could see a younger girl that I knew standing among the crowd with a hand over her mouth. "Maya!" I called out and she turned towards me. _

_She ran to me when she saw that it was I calling her. "Rosio! You must not go there! It is bad!" _

_I put my arm around her as she cried. As future leader of the tribe, I was encouraged to be the comforter of most. "Maya, do speak. What has happened in there?" _

_"It is Maciel! A rock collapsed on him…" She sobbed onto my chest. _

_Soon, it was me who needed comforting. Maciel was my alley. An alley that I trusted with my life. And now he was gone. I let silent tears fall out of my eyes. My knees gave out and Maya and Lea helped me sit down on the nearest rock. After a while, I saw everyone disappear. It was only me left near the cave where a tragedy had happened. _

_"Rosio…Mother Kira wants word with you." Lea said softly, setting her light hand on my shoulder. _

_I did not turn to face her as I wanted to be alone. "Tell her that I will be with her as soon as possible." I wiped some tears and began walking. "Tell her I have gone to the waters to soothe my disturbed spirit." _

_"Rosio? Be careful. Don't wander too far. Don't stumble in the Water tribe." _

_"I can't make any promises…" I whispered and went walking to the lake. _

_I only stayed no longer than a minute near the running waters. In truth, water did soothe me, but trees and nature soothed me more. It was why I coughed myself wandering the forests that belonged to the Tribe of the Wild Waters. Once upon a time, the oldest of the oldest of our people had made a treaty with the other tribe. One tribe would get the grasses and the other tribe would get the forests and everything else on that side. The Tribe of the Wild Waters and the Tribe of the Untamed Winds both liked bringing destruction on the opposite tribe. Death was given to the person who was caught breaking the treaty. _

_It was then when I heard them. _

_"Stop!" It was a group of big, strong men. They all had spears, arrows, and other sharp weapons. "Don't go any further or we will kill you!" I was am impulsive girl. I started running as fast and as hard as I could. It was a good thing that mother had tightened my animal skins or else my clothing would have been long gone. I ran, long and fast, trying to get back to the stream where our treaty line was. My lungs ached as I struggled to get air. But this was quite an adventure. _

_I realized my mistake when I came near the stream. _

_I had arrived to the stream, but I had gone to the wrong side. This was the deadly side of the stream, where all water would meet and this was where the water currents were most dangerous. If I fell in that, I would never come out. I could hear the men behind me. _

_Think, girl! _

_I noticed some shrubs near the lining of the forest. I ran as quickly as possible to them. I ducked down. Ignoring all pain the branches of the shrubs were causing, I hid myself in the bush. The men stopped running when they noticed that I was nowhere to be found._

_"She went the other way!" One man shouted._

_"Back to the village, you say?" Another one shouted._

_The argued until a new voice spoke up. "She fell in the stream. She is as good as dead now. No point on looking for her any longer." _

_I watched through some of the gaps of the bush as all the men left. One by one, they were leaving. _

_"Thank you, Shannah, for saving my life." I whispered to the spirit that had helped me. I made quite some noise as I struggled to get out of the bush. It got the point where I screamed like a coyote. _

_"You can come out now. You are safe." _

_It was the man that had spoken last. _

_I looked up and met some astonishing pair of emerald green eyes. His eyes reminded me of the emerald bracelet my want-to-be mate, Dan, had given me. Those eyes were formed into the shape of large almonds. His hair was the color of a wheat field. There was only one word to describe this man. Beautiful…just like once someone had said to me. _

_I got of the bush as quickly as possible. I ran to him and grabbed his hands and thanked him. "Thank you! I owe you!" _

_He seemed so gentle. "It was my pleasure to help a beautiful woman like you." He put his hand over my cheek and I closed my eyes. "I know you…" _

_My eyes shot open. "No, you don't." _

_"Yes, I do. I dream about you every night." _

_"You must be mistaking me for someone else…" _

_"No…I know it's you." _

_I turned around to start walking back to my tribe. "Thank you for saving me, but I must go now."_

_"I hope this isn't the last time I see you." _

_"Thank you for everything…"I started running back but he was just as fast as I was. _

_"Don't go yet." He sighed. "At least if you must go…at least tell me your name."_

_"Rosio…"_

_"Rosio…the girl of my dreams, the reason of my existence." _

_"How could you say those things when you don't even know me?"_

_"Rosio, you were the one I was destined to be with." He looked up at the sky. "Our lady Shannah has told me as so." _

_"I must go. Others are wondering where I had wandered off." _

_He said something else but I did not hear because I was already gone. _

_Several months passed by. And as he had promised, I saw him every night. I had learned to love him and admire him. It got to the point where I had fallen in love with him. He was the gentlest man I had ever met. He was something so different. He was my man. I had learned that his name was Adrhan. _

_"Don't you know what it is called when it rains and you don't have what you love with you?"Adrhan asked one night as we lay on the grass. We had just finished sharing a wonderful night, where a lot of skin on skin contact was involved. _

_My eyes were closed as he caressed my skin. "Should I know?"_

_He laughed onto my face. It was like another caress. "Well, they are called Tears of Heaven." _

_"That is sure something…" _

_"Adrhan!" Someone called out. _

_"Rosio! Hide!" _

_I didn't move fast enough because someone from his tribe came into the clearing where Adrhan and I were. _

_"Adrhan! What is the meaning of this?!" The man seemed so mad that steam was coming out his eyes. Oh, it sure must be a pleasant sight to see a member of your tribe naked with an enemy. _

_"Stahn!" Adrhan was at loss for words. _

_"I must report this!" _

_He stalked off and Adrhan turned to me. "Rosio! You must run as fast as you can to your tribe! Be safe! Remember I love you no matter what!" _

_I started running and before I could go anywhere, I was stuck in the arms of Dan, who was a member of my tribe. Where Stahn and Dan onto something? Had they planned this? _

_"Where do you think you are going?" He asked, smiling evilly._

_"Dan! How could you…"_

_He slapped me across the face. I could hear Adrian struggle. He was being tied with ropes. "Don't speak, unless I tell you to!" He smiled cruelly again. "Now watch and enjoy this show." _

_I gasped for air. Dan and Stahn were gone now after they both had had their turn to rape me. They had beaten Adrhan, not to death; I could hear him struggling for breath and life. I was in the same shape as him. _

_"Rosio, you are going to survive this." He grabbed my hand in his. "Promise me that you'll live for me."_

_"Don't say goodbye, yet. People will come and help us." I gasped out. _

_I had gotten the worst of the wounds, but I knew Adrhan would leave this world much sooner than I would. I would follow after him seconds after he left. I just knew this. _

_"I love you…" He whispered. It was the first time he had ever said those words to me. _

_"I love you, too." And this was my first time saying those words to him. I wish we would have said those words sooner. We would have gotten more time to savor the moment. But now, it was too late. We would both die here._

_A light was forming before our eyes. And the lady Shannah herself was materializing. "Dear young ones, do not worry. You will many chances at being together. This was your first lifetime being together, but it won't be the last." She ran her hands over our foreheads and started chanting. "Fear not, you two are destined to be. Of course, there will be obstacles that you have to overcome. But there will be a lifetime, eventually, where you two will be together and everyone who wanted to come in your way will be deceased." She started disappearing. _

_"Bless be…" were her last words before she disappeared. _

_The sky roared and Tears of Heaven started pouring out, wetting our lifeless bodies, though are souls still connected as one, like they would always be…for eternity. _

"That was something…" I was too dazed and shocked of what I had just seen.

"I agree." He sounded far away.

We stayed quiet for some time. The sun was starting to rise again. It would be hell if one of my instructors caught me out here.

I sighed in his arms. "I don't want to go…but I have to leave soon. I need some sleep. Although I do wish I could sleep. Nightmares have been invading my dreams ever since I met you. Why?"

He chuckled and I sighed. Another silence slipped between us.

He stood up and gave me a kiss. "Are you sure you don't want some company?" He asked, looking into my eyes, his hand reaching mine, intertwining our fingers. "I could keep the nightmares away."

I giggled. "I know you could, but you can't come in my room, you dummy." I said, tapping his nose.

"Rose, have I ever told you about my awesome ninja skills?" I started giggling again.

I sighed. The sun would not stop rising would it? I began pulling away from Adrian. "I have to go now, or else they might bust me for disobeying curfew. And it will be worse if they catch me with a guy."

"Okay, then. One last kiss?" He didn't even wait for an answer. He just took my lips over, and, of course, my lips surrendered to his. He kissed me hard, and hungry; he tipped me back and kissed me hard and deep. "Well, my beauty, you need your rest." He gave me one last kiss. And waited till I was around the corner to finally leave to his room.

Before I could disappear, he called out to me. "I love you, Rose! Always have, always will! Love you, little dhampir!" All he heard was my soft laugh.

As soon as I fell asleep, once I was tucked in my bed, I discovered that this was the first night Adrian Ivashkov invaded my dreams.

**Adrian, you damn dream walker, where are you when I sleep? **

**Lol! Review! **


	18. Sadies and Jealousy

**Thanks for reading and reviewing…Enjoy this chapter! **

_A man will never love you or treat you as well as a store. If a man doesn't fit, you can't exchange him seven days later for a gorgeous cashmere sweater. And a store always smells good. A store can awaken a lust for things you never even knew you needed. And when your fingers first grasp those shiny, new bags... oh yes... oh yes._

I laughed outright when the character in the movie said those words. They were so true. They fit every man I had gone out with, except Adrian. I would never want to return him for anything else in the world. I loved him with all imperfections included.

"Rose, only you would catch that." Adrian chuckled as he tightened his arms around me. It was just last night that we had declared our love for one another. And we were so madly in love. Our friends didn't know that we had officially declared our love for each other last night. I didn't want to deal with that just now. I wanted to live and enjoy the moment with Adrian.

"It's true. I can't really return you. Not that I would try or anything like that."

He pretended to be offended. "You better not." He said, leaning down and pecking my lips.

"Don't worry; I won't _ever_ do it." I thought about it for a little. "Well, let me amend to that. I will _only _want to return you when you suggest those naughty things you keep on suggesting."

He laughed. "Oh, Rose. You are _so_ innocent."

"Thanks." I said sarcastically. "Obviously you don't know me well."

He smiled cheekily while I turned in his arms. He traced his finger up and down my bare arm and shoulder. "Hmm…We can get to know each other better, if you'd like."

I laughed against his lips. "So eager for my body?"

"No…only _if_ and _when_ you are ready will I ever be eager for your body." He said truthfully, rubbing my cheek while so deep into my eyes. I felt like I could get lost into those Emerald eyes that had been passed down from generation to generation of Ivashkov's.

I nuzzled my nose with his. "You are such a good man. Why didn't you come here sooner?"

"I ask myself that question many times. And I never find an answer."

I chuckled. "So…"

"Yeah?"

"Did you hear about the Sadies Hawkins dance?" I asked looking down now. "Do you have a date?"

"Yes and no. I was kind of hoping that you would ask." He looked so serious that I had to laugh.

There was a knock on the door. "Perfect timing." I stood up and answered the door. A guy I barely knew handed me a red box that usually bakeries came in. I handed him a tip and took the box from him. I walked over to Adrian and handed him the box.

"What is this?"

"Open it."

Sadies Hawkins Dance was a dance where the girl had to ask the guy instead of vice of versa. Like every year, Sadies was only open to graduating Seniors. And the cool part about it was that the Academy never hosted it. Well, the Academy paid for everything, but the location of the dance was always outside of the academy gates. Of course, in that dance, there were like a million guardians.

Adrian opened the box and twenty for cupcakes were there. There were letters on each cupcake and it spelled out: W-I-L-L Y-O-U G-O T-O S-A-D-I-E-S W-I-T-H M-E?

"I am amazed. This is the first time any female has asked me in a special way to go the dance with her."

"Adrian, hurry up and answer the question."

"Mmm…these cupcakes look very appetizing." He seemed to be teasing me.

I rolled my eyes.

"Are they all mine?" He licked his lips.

I swatted him on the arm. "Adrian!"

He chuckled. "Of course yes, my lady Rose. You don't even have to ask. You know it's a positive yes."

I let out a dramatic breath and pretended to wipe the sweat off my forehead. "For a second, I thought you were going to say no."

He chuckled. "Now can I eat the cupcakes?"

"Sure. Only if you share, though." He bit a piece off a cupcake and shared it with me.

"Oh my crap!"

"What?"

"That means I have only one week to find a dress!" I stood up and it was kind of hard since he was holding me so tightly.

He kissed my forehead. "Calm, my Rose. I know this person who will custom-make a dress for you in like five hours." He stood up. "You just have to come with me and tell her what you want and she will have it ready for you in no time. And plus, I'll pay for it. The best thing of all, is that you don't have to bring along Jade or Lissa." He stretched. "How about we go for a little night around town? Just you and me."

I threw both arms around his neck and started kissing him a little too eagerly. "Mmm…that sounds good."

"Well, let's go." I put my hand in his and he started walking down the door.

"Wow…nice car." I commented once we got to the garage of Guest Housing. I had no idea of any cars. But the shape of the car made me realize that it was a Porsche. "But the color is kind of girly."

"Not my car…it's Jade." He said. "My baby is parked in the garage of the house that I chose to be mine."

"You have a house?"

"More like an apartment but yeah." He said as he opened the door for me.

"Thank you." I said, getting in the car. "You rich people are so lucky. You guys get everything you want. And even if you don't want it, you still buy it. The power of money." I sighed.

"Rose, I swear, if you marry me on day in the future. You will get everything your heart has desired and more." He said, smiling at me and starting the car and pressing the gas.

"It kind of sounds like you just asked me to marry you."

"Well, I am glad you got the message." There was a long silence. "So what do you say?" He asked at last.

I took his hand. "Um…I barely know you."

He chuckled. "I know." He sighed longingly.

"You want that, don't you? What is it that you really want? The wife, the kids, the family, the home, the love or just a pretty woman/wife in your life?"

"I want the first thing you said. The wife, the family, and of course, your love." He said it with no hint of lie.

I stayed quiet for a while. I didn't realize we had gotten the boutique until we got there. The store looked very luxurious on the outside and the inside was just as nice, proved to me once I entered the store.

"Lord Ivashkov! It has been so long! Where is your sister Jade? Is this your new girlfriend?"

When she said _new girlfriend_, I got jealous. How many woman had Adrian brought in here as his girlfriend?

"Alenae! It is good to see you. And Jade is not here, obviously. And this the love of my life." He said, pecking my lips.

"Well, she is gorgeous." She smiled at me. "What can I help you with today?"

"Rose needs a dress for the dance. Can you help her with that?"

"Yes, darling, and you know it." Said the old woman, Alenae. "Follow me, Rose." I waved bye to Adrian and he winked and then started to wander off.

Alenae began questioning me. "What have you done to that boy that has made him so in love? It's not a bad thing. It gladdens me. Other times he brought other woman, there was always something in his eyes. Like a sadness and now there is a pure happiness."

"Maybe he has finally found love?" I suggested.

"Sweetheart, that's what I have been trying to tell you." She laughed. "I am sorry; I'm rambling." She started asking questions again. "So what kind of dress are you looking for?"

I told her and she said she would have it for me as soon as possible.

"Thanks for agreeing to come with me tonight." Adrian said as he walked me to my room.

"Thank you for all these clothes and stuff." After the consultation with Alenae, Adrian had token me shopping. He had bought me a mini dress with some ankle boots that he had made me wear as soon as he slid the card. After I had come out of the dressing room, he had declared that I was the hottest woman he had ever seen.

"No problem, love. Get used to them."

"Yeah…I guess I will." I wrapped both of my arms around him and started kissing him. We kissed for about ten minutes. Neither of us wanted to let go.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out something shiny. "Let me see your arm. This is a little souvenir of tonight. Something that will you will look at and remember the good day we spent together."

I put my hand on his and he slipped something on it. When he returned my arm I noticed a huge diamond bracelet on my arm. "Oh…my…God. Adrian I can't take this."

He smiled cheekily and gave me one last kiss. He started walking away. "If you love me, you'll take it."

"Adrian! That's not fair!" I said as he retreated.

"If you love me," he repeated. "Which you do!"

"Adrian! Come back!"

"I love you!" He yelled and I went inside, smiling as I went.

"Ow! Lissa!" I said as Lissa tried to do my hair. It was the night of Sadies and Lissa was experimenting with my hair. She said she wanted my hair to look like Taylor Swift's in the music video Love Story.

"Rose! Don't complain! Beauty hurts!" Lissa said while she did some brushing through my tangled hair.

I groaned and then rolled my eyes. I dozed off thinking about a lot of things.

"Rose! Do NOT fall asleep on me!" Lissa said, I assumed twenty minutes later. "I am almost done!"

"'kay." I was falling asleep again.

Sometime later, I felt her brushing my face, lips, eyes, and everywhere. "Okay, Rose. All done now. You can take a peak now." She sounded proud of herself.

I opened my eyes and inspected myself in the mirror. Oh sweet God. I was beautiful. Lissa had attempted the hairstyle and succeeded. The dress I was wearing matched my hairstyle. My dress was gold with some weird patterns on the back on chest area. The thing I loved most about it was that it was backless. I knew Adrian would love that as he loved to stroke any bare part of skin I was showing.

"Well, you're all set. Now it's time to meet the boys." Lissa, Jade, Mia, and I had invited Christian, Erick ( a guy I had met some time ago), Eddie (Mia and Eddie, they were back together somehow), and Adrian. It was going to be a fun night.

We all met together at the lobby of the Moroi dorms. Our guys were dressed to perfection.

"My lady, I shall let you do the honors on letting you drive my baby. Imported from Romania…all the way to you."

Adrian uncovered my eyes and I gasped when I saw the car. "Adrian…what is this?"

"A car." He said teasingly.

I threw him a _look. _"Wow…what kind of car?"

"A Bugatti Veyron custom made." He said proudly, handing me the keys.

I looked at him horrified. "Adrian…I know how to drive and all…but what I crash this precious thing. I don't want you to kill me."

He wrapped his arms around me. "Rose…I trust you. And if you do, I can get two million dollars from my daddy again."

"What?! Two million dollars?" I almost had a heart attack. With that money, I could live my whole life without working.

He kissed my hand. "You better start driving…or we will never make it in time." He raised his eyebrows and smiled evilly. "Or I might be tempted to take you somewhere else and keep you prisoner."

"Hm…I like the second option better."

He rolled his eyes. "That was supposed to scare you." I laughed. He got over to the passenger seat and got in. "Drive, my love. Unless you want to push the car all the way to Missoula." He laughed. "Now that would be fun."

"My little dhampir, I think it is time for a dance." Adrian said as soon as we arrived.

"Sure." I said, handing the keys to the valet guy.

We walked in the ballroom and I was surprised to see that it was empty. "Uh…did we get the wrong place?"

He shook his head with a smile upon his face. "No…I paid the workers so that they wouldn't let anyone in until later. I wanted to share a dance with you. Alone." He snapped his fingers and music started. "Share a dance with me, Rose. Just me and you and the music that plays."

He took me in his arms and we started dancing. The song was Forever and For Always by Shania Twain. It went something like this:

_In your arms I can still feel the way you  
want me when you hold me  
I can still hear the words you whispered  
when you told me  
I can stay right here forever in your arms_

And there ain't no way-  
I'm lettin' you go now  
And there ain't no way-  
and there ain't not how  
I'll never see that day...

'Cause I'm keeping you  
forever and for always  
We will be together all of our day  
Wanna wake up every  
morning to your sweet face-always

Mmmm, baby  
In your heart-I can still hear  
a beat for every time you kiss me  
And when we're apart,  
I know how much you miss me  
I can feel your love for me in your heart

And there ain't no way-  
I'm lettin' you go now  
And there ain't now way-  
and there ain't no how  
I'll never see that day...

'Cause I'm keeping you  
forever and for always  
We will be together all of our day  
Wanna wake up every  
morning to your sweet face-always

(I wanna wake up every morning)

In your eyes-(I can still see  
the look of the one) I can still see  
the look of the one who really loves me  
(I can still feel the way that you want)  
The one who wouldn't put anything  
else in the world above me  
(I can still see love for me) I can  
still see love for me in your eyes  
(I still see the love)

And there ain't no way-  
I'm lettin' you go now  
And there ain't no way-  
and there ain't no how  
I'll never see that day...

'Cause I'm keeping you  
forever and for always  
We will be together all of our day  
Wanna wake up every  
morning to your sweet face—always

_'Cause I'm keeping you  
forever and for always  
We will be together all of our day  
Wanna wake up every  
morning to your sweet face-always_

I'm keeping you forever and for always  
I'm in your arms

When the song was over, Adrian tipped me back and kissed me. "I love you," He whispered and kissed me again.

**Review! **


	19. Comforting Love

**Hmm…not a lot of action in this chapter. But still review! Oh remember to go read my new story, co-written with TheOrignialPrincess…its called Living on A Dream Of Hate…it's really good…Go read and enjoy this chapter! **

"We're here, little dhampir." Adrian said, putting his car in park.

"Finally. You should have let me drive. We could have gotten here in no time."

He chuckled. He got out of the car and came over to my side to open my door. He held out and I took it.

I started walking to my dorm. But looked back when I noticed he just stood there, watching me like a fool in love. Which he was, I had to admit.

I raised an eyebrow, something that Jade had recently taught me. I had finally learned it! "Aren't you coming?" I said, starting to walk again.

I didn't know how it happened, but somehow, he ran up to me and threw me over his shoulder. "Hey! What was that for? Put me down!"

"No can do, sexy love." He started running towards his room. "You are my prisoner for the night!"

I laughed. "And what are you going to be? My slave for the night?"

"Only if you want to…" We reached his room in no time. He ran pretty fast for a Moroi and he was strong too. Maybe it was the fact the he worked out four hours a day. I sometimes worked out with him.

He opened the door and set me on the couch.

"Oh, thank God. For a second, I thought you were going to drop me."

He laughed. "Rose, you are so dramatic."

"Your face…" I looked around the room. He had been given another room just the other day. This room was way cooler than any other I had ever seen. It had two rooms (this was a family suite). It had a kitchen, two bedrooms, two restrooms, large living room, and an awesome balcony. Adrian and I loved to be on the balcony.

"Rose, my love, make yourself comfortable." He came to sit next to me, dropping his coat, tie, _and _shirt. God…Adrian was so amazingly sexy. All I wanted was to dip him in chocolate and eat him. Oh, those fantasies of mine. I hope one day they come true.

I bit my lip and continued to stare as he sat down adjacent to me. I wondered what he would do if I slipped my hand over his smooth chest and into those pants…

"Rose, this is such a turn on…" Adrian said, stroking my bare skin of my shoulder.

"_You _are such a turn on. I just want to dip you into chocolate and eat you."

Instead of laughing or whatever, he kissed me. He laid down on top of me. I couldn't keep my hands of him. And he seemed to be facing the same problem as well. "Rose, there is something about you that is so easy to love. I haven't anything better than you."

I didn't know what to say so I continued kissing him. "I love you…" he whispered and pulled back, pulling me to his lap and turning on the TV. He started flipping through the channels and he came to one that capture my interest. The Notebook was on. One of the movies that were epic to me.

"Oh! Baby, I love you too! But put that movie on."

He chuckled. "I have never felt so used in my life than right now. You only said I love you so that I could put that awesome movie on."

I pecked him on the lips. "Oh please! I know you love that movie. And I know you cried when they kissed in the rain."

"Crap…you caught me." He chuckled again.

As I watched the movie, in the arms of Adrian, I couldn't help but relate to the characters in the movie. I could relate to it because Adrian was a rich guy that shouldn't be seen with a poor, low-class person like me. I hoped that never one day they separated me from Adrian. And, God forbid, that if I ever had to separate from Adrian it would be because he didn't want me anymore. Until that day, I would be here and I would love him.

By the time the movie ended, I was in tears. And not just little small tears. Big, fat tears and loud sobs escaped as I watched how they lovers died together. _That _was real love.

"Wow…that movie sure knows how to move me." I said, wiping some tears. "I think I need to start writing some journals in case I go coo-coo!"

"No need. I already know our story by heart." Adrian said, while I turned in his arms and started kissing him.

Our whole romantic night was ruined when I yawned. Real attractive to yawn in the face of the guy you loved.

I was embarrassed. "Sorry…"

He kissed my forehead and stood up. "Are you tired?" He went to get a shirt and a coat. "Let me walk you to your room."

I stretched on the couch. "No need. I plan on staying here tonight."

He dropped the shirt again. "Oh, well in that case…let's go to my bedroom." I stood up and followed him. Crap, I wished I brought some good clothes so that I could sleep in.

He went to his closet and pulled out a pair of his smallest clothes, I guessed. He handed them to me and crossed his arms. "Hmm…I want to see how good you look in my clothes."

I smiled and started walking to the bathroom. "Wait up a second, gorgeous." I said, walking into the bathroom. In the bathroom, I was freaking. What if he asked for sex tonight? I wasn't ready to lose my virginity just yet. It wasn't ready to get deflowered tonight. _Face the bull like a man, Rose. _

I chuckled and got dressed. The shirt he had lent me was a cotton shirt…and spandex shorts. Don't know where he had gotten that.

He was already in bed when I came out of the room. He whistled. "Sexy…" He patted the bed, the spot next to him. "Come join me in my bed already."

I pulled the covers over and I noticed Alta stretched sleeping on the spot I was supposed to sleep. "What is this?"

"Our son, remember?"

I chuckled. "Oh, yeah. When did I have a son?"

He wrapped both of his strong arms around me. "Not yet…but soon."

"Oh, crap. I am scared. You shouldn't be saying those things, seeing as how we are in bed together." I kind of scooted away from him as to prove my point. "I don't know about you but I am still a virgin and I am scared to give that up."

He tightened his arms around me and became serious. "Rose. Don't worry. We won't do that until we are ready."

"Hmm…" I couldn't think of anything else to say.

I breathed in and kissed his forehead. "You know, you are the best man I have ever met. Had it been someone else, they would have asked for sex right away." I said after a while of comfortable silence.

"I am not the kind of guy that would pressure a girl to do anything she doesn't want to do."

"Hence _the best man I ever met_ part."

He chuckled. "You are the first person that has ever told me I am good." He tapped my nose and then kissed it. "They usually end up saying that I am heartbreaker, a Manwhore, an ass, and a whole lot of other things that you don't really want to hear."

"Hmm…maybe you are those things but I am too blind to see 'em."

He ran his lips along my cheek, making his way to my ear. "Rose, I would _never, ever _do that to you. It would kill me to see myself as a monster in your eyes. I want to be the perfect man you claim I am. And if I do something wrong, don't hesitate to tell me to 'Man up.'"

I stayed quiet. "Be honest, how many other girlfriends have you ever had?"

"Two."

Was he lying or telling the truth?

He saw jealousy creep over my face. "They were only girlfriends, though. I didn't really love them." He smiled, wonderingly. "I have only fallen in love once. And it's with you."

I smiled. "Thank you. I love you, too." He started kissing me.

A very loud knock sounded at the door. Adrian smiled. "Taco Bell is here…"

"Huh?"

"Did you really think I would send you to bed without eating?"

He was gone for a couple of seconds then came back with hands full of food. "A Chalupa for Rose and one for Adrian."

Adrian and I went back to bed and fell asleep as soon as backs hit the mattress. We were really tried because of the fun night we had.

"Mmmm…" Adrian said, sighing onto my hair, tightening his arms around me.

I looked over at him. He was sleeping so peacefully. He looked beautiful even while he slept. Oh, well. I couldn't stay here all day. I had to go to practice. I didn't know why, but Dimitri wanted to practice every day, even though it was spring break. Maybe it was due to the fact that I was spending most of my time with Adrian.

I slipped out of Adrian's room, hoping it wasn't too cold outside. I walked to my dorm, thinking about Adrian. He was the most wonderful man. I checked to see if there were people around as I walked in my dorm building. Yay. No one around. I made my way as quickly as possible.

Once in my dorm, I took a shower, brushed my teeth and hair, readied myself for practice. I dressed in gray sweatpants, white thermal, and a sweater that matched the sweatpants. An hour had passed and I already missed Adrian. But it was good that we spend some time apart. We could make up for the time away from each other later.

I walked into the gym, feeling wonderful because I was thinking about Adrian.

I didn't not expect what happened next.

As soon as she walked in, he slammed me against the wall. "What is up with you today?"

Me, like the badass I was, didn't let him treat me like that.

"What is up with me? I don't know." He said, flinching as I hit him in the face. We started fighting each other and quite hard, I might say.

He finally gave up and sat down. I looked down at him. "What's wrong?" I asked, sitting beside him.

He looked up at me with pain in his eyes. "Don't you love me, Rose?"

I nodded. "I do love you, Dimitri. Why do you ask this?"

"Then, why did you have to ruin what we had?" He stared at me, a hundred percent serious.

I gave him a look of disbelief. "If you remember correctly, you were the one who ruined it when you said you loved Tasha. Don't try to blame this one on me." I said, standing up.

He stood up and got mad. "I never said I loved Tasha!"

"Liar! Remember that day…you said your grandmother was right…that you did fall in love!" I said, running to the door. "Don't freaking try to blame this on me!" I ran out the door and didn't stop running until I was at Adrian's door. Again.

I knocked as hard as I could, regretting that I had locked the door when I slipped out.

A few minutes later, the door came open and he came out. "What did I piss off the FBI again—Rose! What's wrong, sweetheart?"

He noticed my tears. Crap…I hated when people saw me cry. He reached out and hugged me. He pulled me into his room.

Rose, love, what's wrong?"

"Dimitri," I said, sighing into his bare chest. He had been asleep. Crap, I promised not to wake him up.

"Sorry to wake you. If you want me to go. I will go." I started walking to the door.

"No, Rose, stay. Talk to me." Being with him made me forget all my problems. I even forgot about why I was here. "Dimitri, what did he do?"

"Oh, yeah. He says it's all my fault that him and I are apart. He is blaming it all on me." I said, going to sit on his bed because the couch was full of his clothes. I didn't really want to ruin them as they looked cleaned and pressed. When had they delivered these clothes?

He sat down next to me. And wrapped both of his strong arms around me. "That bastard!" He began stroking my hair. "Rose, just forget about him. He doesn't know what he is talking about. Something is up his ass."

I laughed. "Thanks, Adrian. You make me feel better, no matter the situation." I yawned. I hadn't gotten enough sleep last night due to the fact that his stupid dog was taking up all of the bed and because I didn't want to smash him. I stretched out on his bed and couple of seconds later, he joined me. A strong pair of hands, that belonged to him, pulled me as close as I could get to him.

"Lovely Rose, my lovely, what great thing did I ever do to deserve you?" I smiled.

"What did _I _do to deserve _you_?" I asked. He leaned down to kiss my nose. From my nose, his eyes lips skimmed down to the search mine. I sighed happily, falling into the best sleep ever because his arms were around me.

**Who is excited for Spirit Bound like I am? ME! Anyways…please review! **


	20. Public Relationship

**Sorry it took so long to update but I had this 500 pt final on Monday. It was crazy! I passed though! I got 480/500! I was so happy! Anyways, as you all know, I am have been updating Heartless Sin. And if you get 100 reviews on this story, I promise that Heartless Sin will be finished in no time! Hope you enjoy this chapter and please review my lovelies! **

**Disclaimer: VA=RM**

I rolled my eyes, although I knew too well that Adrian could not see that action because his hands were over my eyes and he was standing in back of me. I could feel himself press into me more, making himself more intimate with me.

"Say it again, my love." He said as we continued to walk through the grassy lawns of wherever we were. I had no idea where the hell he was taking me. He had just showed up at my dorm a couple of hours ago and said that I needed to go with him and he had shoved me in his car and just drove off with me like were being chased by the cops Well, not that dramatic. He had _slowly_ put me in his car and he _slowly_ sped away. Before he _slowly _sped away he had blindfolded me.

"I want to be with you for the rest of eternity."

He took his hands off my eyes. "We're here." He declared. And then to my response he added, "I just won't ever get tired of you saying you want to spend your lifetime with me."

"Well, bark like a dog because I think I won't stop saying those words."

"I don't know if you ever witnessed it, but this is the exact same place where I saw us in one of our visions." I nodded at him and looked around the meadow. "Holy mangos…where the hell did you bring me?"

"Oh…was that the vision with the tree, flowers, and the sunshine?" I asked, idly.

He looked shocked. And I do mean shocked. "You saw that vision too?"

"Yeah. I have been seeing visions ever since I met you."

He still was shocked. Then, a smile of pure joy lit his face. He came up to me and put out his palm. I put my palm on his and was not surprised when I saw the edges of my world blur. But I knew the visions now. I knew how they worked. I could control them. I didn't know what I did—but I did it—before the blur could turn into a vision, I stopped it.

"Wow…it took you a few days just to control the visions…unlike me, who hasn't learned how to control 'em."

He put his hand on mine again, palm to palm. Again another vision tried to creep in and again I stopped it. A smile of wonder made his face light up in joy. "Do you know what this means?"

I could only assume what it meant: We were meant to be. That still didn't stop me from asking Adrian what it meant. "What?"

"It means that you and I are Spirit-mates."

"And what is that?"

"A Spirit user has a real lover, no matter what they are. And you are my Spirit-mate."

I knew the unspoken words were…_Soul mates. _Adrian and I, that's what we were. Soul mates. Anybody could have guessed that.

He started attacking me with his lips. He seemed greedy as his lips overtook mine.

I started giggling when his lips moved down to my neck. He knew that I was very ticklish in that area. "Stop." I said, weakly, trying to get him away.

He finally took his hands and lips off me, though I wished them back on me. Crazy, me. Adrian made me so crazy. But I loved it!

I looked around the meadow again. The tree looked exactly the same except it had no flowers right now. Just some fallen leaves.

"Wow…I can't believe that it was just a hundred years ago that we were here." I commented.

"I know…it makes me feel old."

I laughed. "Yeah…well, you aren't."

He smiled. He grabbed my hand and led me forward. I was standing near the trunk of the tree so I didn't see the table set up for two because the trunk obscured some of my sight. Two candles were what lighted the pre-night, a bottle of champagne with champagne glasses, and two plates waiting to be served.

Adrian pulled out a chair for me.

"How in the world did you get this here?"

He sat down. "A little help from Jade."

"I love Jade, then. How did she know that Chinese food was my favorite type of food?"

He chuckled. "How could anyone not know that your favorite food is Chinese food?"

There were boxes filled with Chinese food all the way to the top. I could eat this in, like, less than a minute. There were sushi rolls of to the side. Oh, yes. I was in heaven. Adrian watched in peculiar amusement as I grubbed on my food. I wasn't one of those girlfriends that when in front of their boyfriends they ate like a little small portion of food and when they got home, they snarfed down the whole refrigerator. I hated those kinds of girls. I was glad I was a girl of good-eating. Luckily, Adrian was just the same. He ate almost as much as I did.

"I have been craving that for as long as I can remember." Adrian said once we were done.

"My exact thoughts, pumpkin."

"Ohh, I didn't know that we were making up cute nicknames for each other." He pretended to think. "I got a nickname for you, angel."

I blushed as he called me angel. Time seriously slowed down when he was around. It was like magic was very thick in the air. It was like a fairytale. He tipped my face up with one finger and kissed me tenderly on the lips. If possible, his eyes shined much brighter than the starts that shined. And, also if possible, I fell in much more love with him.

"I love you, angel." His words caressed my skin as did his lips.

I knew there was another darker shade of blush creeping over my face. I closed my eyes and rendered to the moment. Then, I opened my eyes and he was smiling. Love was so weird. It made people act so weird.

I quickly noticed that his smile was not out of sweetness but of pure mischievousness. "Hmm…we have the whole house to ourselves. What are you willing to do?"

_What are you willing to do? _not _What do you want do? _The way he said it made me very nervous. _Calm down, Rose._ _You know Adrian won't pressure you into something you don't want to._

Since nobody was supposed to make me feel like I was an innocent girl, unaware of all the sexual innuendos in this world, I decided to answer Adrian with a little flirty remark. "Anything you are up for, I'm up for."

"Total turn-on." He said, winking at me and standing up and stretching like a lazy cat. Once his very dramatic stretch was done, he came to stand beside me. Without notice, he lifted me up in his arms.

"One day you are going to drop me. And poor you on that day." I said, snuggling as close to him as possible.

He laughed. "Oh, Rose. I can run…"

"But you can't hide."

"You know, you just sounded very evil right now." I loved the way his green eyes looked in the moonlight. I was too distracted by them that I didn't really hear what he said. Well, I heard, but I didn't understand. "I hope our kids, when we have them, come out as evil as you are."

"Adrian…you're awfully sexy—wait, what?"

He smiled, tapping my nose. "I can't wait till we have our kids. Of course, we have to wait till you graduate to get married. And, Rose? You never answer my question."

I was starting to get nervous. "What question?"

"About you marrying me."

"Oh. About that," I began, "why are you so eager to marry me?"

"Because I love you and I went to spend all eternity with you."

"Is that it?"

"And because I want to make wonderful children with you."

"So you admitted that you want to get in my pants."

"Isn't that customary for married couples? Sex is a part in life that you just have to have in order to be happy. Believe me, I know." He winked at me.

"Yeah, I knew that judging by the fact that you have been considered the 'Man Whore' of our generation."

"Besides, doesn't everyone want to get into your pants? _And_ I won't force you into having sex with me until you are ready for it."

"What a gentlemen. First he admits that he wants to _bang _me. And then he says he will wait until I am ready. I am sure you have your other sluts that are waiting so that you and her can boff."

"There is no one but you in my life, angel. Of course, I had prior girlfriends, but they were more of pass-the-times more than they were people that I was committed to."

"Am I just going to be your 'pass-the-time' girl as well?"

"No, angel. Once I hold on, I hold on forever." I gave him a _WTF! _look. "Don't you get it?"

"No. Amuse me, please."

"Once you fall in love for the first time, it will last forever." He said simply, looking deeply into my eyes.

I had to turn away because there were embarrassing tears in my eyes. Wow. What was happening to me? I had never cried before when a guy said something pretty to me or when they made a nice comment. I usually just dismissed it with a sarcastic tone. Not now. This really _was _love.

Adrian set me on the ground. "Welcome to Casa de Ivashkov."

"Thank you." I looked more like a mansion than a house.

He stood on the doorstep. "We have two options. One, go for a swim in the indoor pool that is probably heated. Or, we can go snuggle in bed and cuddle like fools in love." He stretched like a lazy cat again. "Hmm…I am liking the second option better. But, of course, it's up to you."

"Option number two."

"Yeah…I hope I don't decide to throw you in the pool on our way to the bedroom." He said, evilly. I got nervous as he said _bedroom._

I swallowed my fear. "If I go down, you are going down with me."

"Down? Down as in where?" He said, mischievously, looking _down _at me.

"God, you are such a perverted man, Adrian."

"And yet you love me."

"And yet you are _so_ right."

"I am always right. Like that time Krestel was late and she kept saying she _wasn't _pregnant and I kept saying she was and it turned out I was right." He smiled. "See? I am always right."

I rolled my eyes at Adrian's foolish words. "So, snuggle time?"

"Sure, angel."

"Would you quit calling me that? It makes me feel like you want me to pop out some wings and fly you wherever you want."

He chuckled. "_That _would be nice." He lost the smile. "So what do you prefer me calling you?"

"I don't know. Maybe call me by my name. Rose."

"Alright, beautiful Rose angel."

I ignored his playfulness. "Alright, take me to bed."

"I believe that is what I am doing." He said, leading me up the stairs which we had reached while he walked down the hallway. Rich people houses scared the shit out of me. I felt like I didn't fit in and I felt like I would break something that was very valuable. Something that was valuable to me was probably common for them. Maybe I should rethink me getting tied with an overly-rich guy.

Adrian took me by the hand and towed me to a huge bedroom. It was awesome. There was a huge bed and a huge TV. I let go of Adrian and went to lay down on the bed.

"Pretty sight, angel. When we are married, I want to see you waiting for me on a bed."

I rolled my eyes again. He pointed at a small bag on the corner of the bed. "I told Jade to pick out some things for you so you wouldn't suspect of weekend get-away."

"Thanks," I said and went into the bathroom to change into something more comfortable. Once in the bathroom, I was horrified. Jade had thrown in some pajamas which was just a silky gown. And she had put in a pack of condoms with a note attached that said: _It's better to protected:)_ She was dead. I hope Adrian didn't see these and get the wrong impression.

When I finished getting ready, I went out back to the bedroom. The room was dark. I could see Adrian's cat-green eyes looking at me as I made my way to the my side of the bed. His eyes skimmed from my legs to my eyes. His eyes portrayed a hunger of desire as I gazed upon them.

I quickly got in the bed and gripped me in his hold. He put his chin on the top of me head.

"We should make our relationship public." Adrian said, stroking my hair. I put my hands on his bare chest which was about the sexiest thing I had ever seen.

To which I replied: "Hurry up; I want the whole world you are mine."

"I understand your eagerness, angel." He said and then kissed me.

Our kissing increased as we laid on the bed. It was crazy. Finally, exhaustion took us over. We fell asleep in each other's arms, like a pair of lovers foolishly in love.

**OMG! Who has read Radiant Shadows the fourth book of the Wicked Lovely series? Omg! That book was so awesome! Sorry for all the mistakes on this chapter but I really don't like editing. Anyone want to be my Beta Reader? **

**Please review! **


	21. Evil Little Thing

**Thanks to my cool Beta CityOfTheDamned. She is great! Hmm...One more day for Spirit Bound! I am so happy! IDK why but I am getting more and more convinced that its Adrian who is on the cover of SB. Anyways…hope you enjoy! **

"What do you think people are going to say?" I asked as I looked up at Adrian, staring at my hand where a beautiful diamond ring was placed on my ring finger. We were coming back from the trip he and I had taken to the place where we shared one of our famous visions. It was a nice weekend, but now it was time to come back down to earth. We had done some pretty amazing things back there, things that didn't surpass the PG rating, but things that were defiantly not intended for children's eyes. I blushed thinking about the good memory.

"I am not a freakish vampire that can read minds or a sexy, cool vampire that can see the future." He chuckled and I had to laugh along. He became serious after some minutes of chuckling. "I honestly don't care what people could say or think."

I looked down at the ring. "What will my mother say when she finds out?"

"Rose. . ."

"Adrian. . ." I said in the same tone he had used with me.

"I really don't care what they say. I don't care that I am supposed to marry someone who is supposedly so 'educated.' I don't care about anything . . . but you."

My heart swelled. He would give up anything for me if it came to that. I think he would even give up his whole life if it meant I could be with him. I couldn't let that happen. He needed to live the life he was born to have. I couldn't be the cheap Dhampir that downgraded him. I couldn't. I wasn't the cruel. "I just don't want your reputation to be ruined."

He laughed. "Rose, my life and whatever is in it doesn't matter anymore if I don't have you." He looked seriously at me as I lounged on the hood of his car and he standing in front of me. "Don't you understand? I don't care about how my life is without you in. You have to understand that when I met you, my whole world changed. It was like Darkness finally surrendered to the Light. You changed my whole world completely. I never knew love could be so powerful. I never knew _your _love could change me so differently."

I looked down at the ground. Adrian and I rarely argued and never over pathetic things. I just didn't want to be the reason he wasn't going to be the Royal he was born to be! What would his parents think when they found out about this? They expected so much from Adrian, how where they going to handle this?

He looked at me for several minutes, arms cross over his chest. He looked very sexy standing like that. Like an eternity later, it seemed, he hugged me tightly against him. "It's going to be okay, Rose." He bit my ear lightly and that made me forget why I was worrying. "It is going to be alright, my angel."

I chilled a little and looked down at the ring once more.

He whispered in my ear, "You are going to have to get used to the rumors and bad comments. How are you going to manage when we get engaged and then married and when we have our kids?"

"You're right. I don't know why I am being depressed and all." What I was stressing over was the ring Adrian had given me during the weekend out. Adrian had custom made a ring that had the color of my birthstone, which was peridot as I was born in August, with a silver band. He had put it on my ring finger and had proclaimed that it be a promise ring to be faithful to each other. It was a huge ring though and people could easily confuse it with an engagement ring. I didn't want anyone believing that Adrian Ivashkov, a rich guy and Rose Hathaway, a common girl, were engaged. Yes, I loved Adrian and wanted to marry him and have a few of his kids and spend the rest of my life with him, but it was too sudden to made people believe that Adrian and I were getting married.

I put my head against his shoulder and tucked my face under his chin. "I don't like it when you waste this much money on me."

He rubbed circles onto my back. "So this is what brought the argument on? You don't like me spending money—a lot of money on you?"

I lightly bit his neck as to lighten up the mood and night a little. "No. I don't you spending _any _money on me." I admired the ring once more and I admired the other gift he had given me not so long ago; the diamond bracelet glinted on my wrist as moved my hand to his lower back. "Sure, the gifts are very exquisite and very beautiful, but I don't think I am worth you spending all your money."

He pulled back from my embrace, angry. Though I knew the anger was not meant for me, I was still scared for pissing off Adrian Ivashkov. Angry Adrian was not an attractive thing. Well, it was. He did get pretty sexy when he was mad. "What do you mean 'I don't think I am worth you spending all your money?'

"Well—" I tried to stammer out but he stopped me.

"Rose! Do not say those ridiculous things again! You are so worth my money, my time, and my life!"

Ridiculously, my heart swelled until I could feel the pressure on my rib cage. I didn't like when he was too far away from my reach. It seemed when he was far away like that, that there was a wall in between from where he stood to where I sat. The point was that I didn't like him too far away. I loved to feel him near me, under my lips, my hands, my skin, my body. I needed him like a lake needed water. I wanted him like a girl wanted shoes. I loved him like a mother loves her newborn child. It hurt to be away from him, even if it was mere seconds.

"Hmm . . . how about you spend another night in my arms?"

"You know my answer, definite yes." I said, hopping off the hood of his car. He threw his arm around me as we walked to his room. I looked back at his car. "Pumpkin, I really love you car, but you seriously need to purchase another more masculine car. This car is more for a woman."

I seriously loved the way guys got defensive when you said that they seemed to queer and I just loved the way Adrian got defensive. But, this time, he didn't get defensive. Grr. He knew me too well. Damn. No more joke-playing on Adrian. He knows all your moves, Rose. Crap. I was in a desperate need to sit under a tree so that new ideas could come to me.

"You know what?"

"What?"

"I was thinking the same exact thing. I do need a more masculine car. How about I donate this car to you _and _I buy a better version of the newest model of this car?"

I was starting to get excited. "Really?"

He smiled and a second later changed his expression. "No. The best for the beautiful lady. She is going to have to get the better model of this car."

"You know. I suddenly love you more."

He laughed. "God, I shouldn't be too noble. Women start to get interested."

I gave him a sideways look. "I should never see another woman near you because I will chop your balls off in your sleep."

He seemed a little freaked. "Remind me to lock my room in the night."

"Oh, pumpkin. We sleep on the same bed almost every night. It is _very _easy to reach you."

"I wouldn't cut off my balls, if I were you."

"Why not?"

"Because they might be useful to you later."

"Look, Adrian. I seriously don't want to talk about this when we are about to sleep on the same bed together."

"Babe, angel, you are the one who brought it up."

"Yeah . . . so?"

"So no ball cutting, please."

"I never said I wanted to 'cut your balls off.' I said I was going to 'chop off your balls if I caught you with another woman.'"

"Still . . . you make a point." We reached his room and he unlocked the door, letting me step inside first.

In a gesture of trying to be seductive, I pushed him against the wall and started kissing him. I felt his hand slide all the way down to my thigh. His other hand, I could feel, was gliding up my skirt. Oh, man. This man was serious when it came to making out and stuff like that. But he knew how to stop. He had said so many times that we would only have sex until I was ready.

Our breaths were ragged as we pulled away from each other. I slipped my hands under his shirt and pulled it off. I knew me undressing him was like drinking a Viagra pill for him. I let my hands glide down to his jeans, to the button, and unbuttoned those designer jeans that I loved. This man always looked like he had just stepped out from a Calvin Klein advertisement. Yes, he was that sexy.

"See . . . now you are all ready for bed."

"All thanks to the angel that is very naughty at the moment." He said, throwing that cheeky smile that I loved so much.

I slipped off my shirt and put on the shirt I had just taken off from him. It smelled like his cologne. I took off my skirt and the length of his shirt covered my now-nakedness. I followed him to his bedroom and on the way, I picked up his puppy that was currently sleeping.

Jade's handwriting was sprawled on the note that was on the couch: _Sorry, I had to bring Alta back. I was scheduled for a very nice day today. I knew you two would be back today so I knew your baby would be safe. Tell Rose she is going to give me all the dirty details when I get back. Love you, brother. :)_

After putting down the note, I climbed into bed with Adrian. We did some serious making out and then we started asking each other questions.

"When we do, how many kids do you want to have?"

"About three, maybe more." I told him frankly. He came from a big family, a family of six so I would assume that he would want a big family. I know I wanted a big family. I didn't want my only child to be alone all its life because his parents were too selfish to have more kids. I hadn't realized that I dozed off until I felt Adrian intrude my dreams.

"Enough," I said. "I am going to be late for practice if you don't stop giving me these awesome kisses."

"Mmm . . . who cares about practice?"

"I do!" I said, going out of his arms, running to the door and opening it. Adrian came close and pecked me one last time. I didn't notice someone was standing behind me until they spoke, rather loudly.

"Rose Hathaway!"

Oh, hell.

I turned around to find my mom standing there, hands on her hips, and her face very red. She was mad. I started flipping out. I looked up at Adrian for some help but none was showing on his face. Right now, we were face-to-face with the devil (my mom) and the devil didn't seem really happy right now.

Oh, shit. I was screwed.

**Sometimes I feel like my mom is like that…Lol…review! **


	22. Trouble Coming Soon

**OMG. It's been so long since I've updated. Part of the reason was that I was on vacation and been suffering from Writer's Block. And also my laptop's charger burned so I had to wait like three weeks so that my parents would buy me a new one. It was such a depressing three weeks, you can imagine. I would look at my Laptopie and know that I couldn't use it because if I turned it on, Laptopie would die. ( Yes, I did name my laptop. Lol. I am weirdo. But I think you can all guess I am.) Omg. I almost forgot! The LA Lakers won The Finals! I was so excited! I think I cried that day when I saw Kobe Bryant crying. **

**Anyways, I screwed up this story majorly it wasn't supposed to go the way it is going. So as you all know, the story is getting really boring. Over my no-Laptopie period, I thought up some ideas and decided to add 2-5 more chapters to this story to add some romance between D/R that I feel so awful writing about. If the discomfortness (is that even a word—I don't think so) of writing about D/R gets too weird, I will stop writing about them and write about A/R—now that's something I love writing about. If you have any ideas for this story, I'll be more than happy to hear them. I am just sucking up lately, we all have our moments of being sucky; I think we can all agree. **

**So let's get down to business. Haha. I love saying that. It makes me feel like Abe Mazur for some reason. I want to make Rose and Adrian have 6 kids like they did in Sinless Heart but my BFF wants me to make them have 3 kids, 4 possibly, but no more than 4. So she convinced me to make Rose and Adrian have 4 kids. What do you think they should be named? And how many boys and how many girls? I am letting my readers decide. Oh and if you have any idea or suggestion on how they should look, how their rooms should be designed, and stuff like that, I am all ears. **

**Thanks a million to CityOfTheDamned. **

**Enjoy the chapter. . . **

I was scared shitless. In truth, who wouldn't be scared of the scary Janine Hathaway? She was like the devil in disguise. A snake ready to bite when it was troubled. She was Satan personified. She was a tornado about to hit. A freaking avalanche. The point was that she was scary as hell can be.

"Young lady! What the hell do you think you are doing? Do you have any idea how many rumors being with an _Ivashkov_ sparks?!" She said the name with bitter venom in her voice. It was scary. Was she really only worried about rumors? Or for her job? After all, Adrian's father was my mother's boss. One mistake and my mom could be out on her ass.

Like mother, like daughter. I responded with the same scariness. Except she didn't crunch in fear like I would have. "You have no right to just bust in the door and tell me what the hell I can or can't do!"

"Rosemarie Hathaway . . .—"

Adrian interrupted her outburst. "Guardian Hathaway . . ."

"Mr. Ivashkov, this is strictly a conversation between Rose and me."

Well, that shut him up good.

Adrian frowned.

My mother gripped my hand like I was a child and started leading me outside. I didn't know where she was taking me, but I just hoped she wasn't taking me to my death. Knowing her, I assumed she was because that's all that mattered to her. Death. She only cared about death. Death just overruled her life. Damn this Strigoi world.

"Where are you taking me?" My words came out harsh and rude, though I was anything but that. I was more like a little chick compared to her who seemed more like a mature, scary rooster.

"I am going to take you to an isolated place where nobody can hear your screams." That sounded really scary. I felt running the direction opposite her.

"Mom, seriously, I am not a child anymore. I know what I am doing."

**Adrian's POV**

Yeah. You wake up to a wonderful morning with the love of your life and then her hellish mom just interrupts everything. Great.

Not.

Guardian Hathaway was about the scariest person in this world. No joke. If Strigoi knew how she really was, I bet they would be scared of her. I knew for a damn fact that she could take down anything in a matter of seconds; she could take down Rose in a matter of seconds.

Well, Ivashkov, nothing else to do than to go help your little angel.

I grabbed my cell in case of an emergency and headed out the door.

**Rose's POV**

I knew my mother was mad. I just didn't want to know just how mad she was. What I didn't understand was—why was she mad? I mean, yeah, she caught me with a guy that in her opinion was probably going to dump me and humiliate my ass. I knew Adrian would never do that. Big deal.

She stopped and let me go when we were in the middle of the forest. She crossed her arms across her chest. She was at least a foot shorter than I was but she could kick major ass. It was very frightening.

"Rose Hathaway—"Mom, I am a teenager; you can stop calling me by my full name just like other moms call their toddlers when they get in trouble—"I do not like you seeing Adrian Ivashkov. I want it to stop immediately."

"Want what to stop?"

She was in my face in an instant. "I am not here to play games, Rose, I am here for business."

Business. Always business. "If you care about business so much, then why the hell are you yelling at me like I was some three-year-old that was about to draw on his older brother's homework?"

She ignored me. "I want it to end. Whatever you have with Adrian Ivashkov, I want it to end. Now."

"Why? Nobody stopped you from going with my dad, whoever he is." I paused for a breath. "Get over it, mother. I am grown person. I do my own choices and I make my own mistakes and I suffer my own consequences. You passed through all that already. Let me live my life. Let me have my own share of the dirt that life has to offer."

Ignored, again. "Dating a Royal Moroi is the stupidest mistake of your life. They just use you for blood, sex, and their pleasures, whatever it is."

Out of the shadows of the forest, Adrian stepped in and said, "I love Rose and have no intentions of breaking her heart. Ever. Just the opposite, I want her to be happy in every aspect of the world. She deserves love and happiness. But I want it to be me that delivers that to her." He said, standing his ground. His green eyes shined with love as gazed into my eyes.

My mother didn't say anything for a while. She was fuming. We watched as some of her anger vanished. She seemed to believe what Adrian had said. "Okay, but, _I swear,_ Lord Ivashkov, _I swear _to whoever you believe in, that if I hear that you left Rose because she became pregnant or you don't want her anymore_, I swear_ that you will not wake up with your tic-tac and two mini m&m's." I started laughing at my mom's version of balls and . . . you get the picture.

"You have my word, Ms. Hathaway. No harm here for Rose." Adrian said in a way that only a real man would say.

"You really can't stop love." My mother said and departed.

We stayed quiet for a while. Adrian broke the silence.

"Now, I am scared. You and your mother are so alike. It's scary at times."

I had other matters on my mind. I looked directly into Adrian's eyes. "Did you mean it?"

He came closer and wrapped his arms around my waist. "Rose, I meant every word I said to your mother. I have no plans of hurting or harming you. I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to marry you, you just have to accept and we will get married right away."

"It scares me."

"What does?" He seemed confused.

I felt a tear rolling down my cheeks. "That you love me so much. I have never, ever in my life had anyone care for me like you do. It scares me. I don't know how someone can have so much love in them."

He wiped my tear. "Don't you feel the same way for me?" He asked, sadly.

I didn't say anything. It was stupid of him to ask that question. Yes, I loved him, probably more than he loved me.

"I don't care if you don't love me like I do. I love _you. _That's all that matters to me. I'll be with you forever, if you allow it, of course. I don't want to be a hindrance in your life."

I put both hands behind his head and brought his beautiful face closer to mine. Just before I kissed his lips, I said, "You won't be a hindrance in my life. I want you in my life. I want you right now. I need you right now. I love so much."

I pressed my lips to his and we kissed passionately.

"Rose! Rose!"

Dimitri's yell interrupted our little love scene.

"What do you want?!" I sounded just like my mother had earlier. I saw Adrian flinch.

"You have to come with me." He was speaking to me, but he was having a showdown stare with Adrian. We ladies would never understand men. I didn't think that they even understood themselves. Men were just problematic and straight out weird. But whatever, we loved them.

"Go where?"

Another second at staring at Adrian and then he looked at me. "Alberta has requested you and I go to participate and give our vote on Moroi fighting with their magic."

I chewed on my lip. Did it really have to be me going?

"The Ivashkovs have chosen me as their representative since I have the rarest element." Adrian spoke up from behind me. I turned to look at me. "You should go. I am going to be there. I was just about to invite you as well." Adrian's words were addressed to me, but his eyes were on Dimitri.

I put my hand to my head. "Men are just headaches . . ." I whispered under my breath. "I will go because Alberta has requested me to go and I'll go with you Adrian."

"We can take my car, if you'd like, Dimitri?" Adrian asked. I looked at Adrian. I was shocked. Wouldn't he want to go alone with me, instead? Maybe he was up to something.

"Whatever is fine with me."

"Well, I have to get changed." They both nodded. I reached up to kiss Adrian and left the forest, knowing well that was to come would be a disaster.

In my room, I pulled out my phone and called Jade. As soon as she answered, I said, "I am about to go out with two hot guys. I NEED your help." I hung up as those words were said. I laid down on my bed as I waited for Jade to come. I mean, this trip was sure to be a disaster. I started chewing on my nails, which was majorly unattractive, but I was nervous. My nerves were so out of control that when Jade, I presumed, knocked on the door, I almost fell off my bed.

"Rosie Hathaway, lovely love, open the door. It's your future sister-in-law." She began pounding on the door as if she expected coconuts to fall out.

A small smile spread on my lips as I let her in. I loved this crazy girl to death.

She sat on my bed. She had the same excitement she had on the day we met and bumped into each other. In her hands were pieces of clothing. I mean, I had told her I needed help not a freaking makeover. "Tell me all about it. Who are these sexy guys?"

"Your brother and Dimitri."

"That tall Russian?" She eyed me.

"Yeah. Him."

"Russians scare me." She said very seriously.

I scrunched up my eyebrows in confusion. "Why?"

"They are tall, broody, and especially males, _big_."

"What do you mean by '_big?'" _

"Well, from the latest Cosmo magazine, according to it, Russian males are the biggest."

I rolled my eyes when I finally realized what she was talking about. "Oh, God. Jade why are we talking about men's sizes. You know size does not matter."

"Can I ask you a question, Rose? It's kind of personal."

"Sure. Go ahead."

"Are you still a virgin?"

"Uh, yeah. Why would you want to know?"

"Well, since I am, I just wanted to ask how much it hurt."

"I don't know because I have never been that far. I just never felt right, until your brother came along." A huge smile filled my face as I talked about Adrian. "It feels right whenever I am around Adrian."

She smiled sweetly. "I understand. Logically, though, not emotionally because I have never felt that sense of rightness when I am with a guy."

"You just haven't fallen in love yet."

She rolled her eyes and turned back to her old bitchy self. "No shit, bitch? Tell me something I don't know."

"God you are such a bitch."

"Don't jinx yourself because when you and Adrian have little babies, one of your kids is going to be exactly like me. A total bitch."

"It scares me. Having little babies."

"Don't be. Babies are like the highlight of life." She sighed. "Now let's get you ready because I am sure your boys don't want to be waiting for you long."

Jade pulled out some clothes and then made me put them on. It was a pair of dark skinny jeans that I fell in love with right away. I loved every piece of clothing Jade wore. She had her own fashion sense. And it looked very good on her. Jade put me in a black tee and dark gray trench coat since it was very cold outside and you never know the weather—better to be ready than not. Since she insisted, she put some light make up on me. I don't know why she was doing this; I was just going to this dumb meeting for God's sake! She parted my hair to the side, tied it, and curled the ends of the pony tail. God, did she really have to do this? But when she finished with me, I looked pretty. Real pretty. Almost as pretty as her.

"You are all set to go," she said when she finished. I am pretty sure that Dimitri and Adrian were very happy waiting so that the princess could get ready. Not. They were probably about to rip each other's throats out.

She stayed in my room and I walked down wondering where Adrian or Dimitri could be. I decided to call my baby.

It rang three times before he answered. "Finally my loves call. What can I do for you, _mi amor_?"

"Hey, my sexy love, where are you?"

Strong hands wrapped around my waist. "Behind you," Adrian said. "You look hot."

I turned around and kissed him a little eagerly. Dimitri's throat clearing interrupted us.

"Ready to go?" He looked me over and he seemed appreciative at what he saw.

I sighed, not wanting to go one bit. Adrian grabbed my hand.

He pulled me along with him. "Come on. It's going to be fun."

"Hopefully." I told him, but followed to where Dimitri waited. It was going to be a disaster, I just knew it in my heart.

Wonderful.

Not.

**Well, I have never rambled so much as I have today. I hope I didn't bore any of you with my weird words. Anyways, I hope you do help and lots of amor. **


	23. A Double Date or What

**Well, I hate editing; sorry for the mistakes. Thanks for reviewing and I hope you enjoy this chapter. **

**I don't own Vampire Academy. **

I felt like banging my head against a rock. No joke. Why did they bring me into these meetings? All there was were old people talking, discussing magic fights or whatever nonsense they were talking about. The youngest person in the room was probably Adrian or me because I was younger than. Ha. My baby's old. Who cared? I loved him the same. Age did not matter on spec with him.

I waited till Adrian looked my way so that I could show the face he couldn't resist. "Let's go somewhere else?"

That rogue smile of his appeared on his face. "Where do you want to go?"

"I saw an ice cream parlor down the road. Let's go there." I stood up as quiet as possible and Adrian followed me to the door. Nobody noticed our absence because they were so caught up in their discussions.

I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw the setting sun. Nature . . . always a comfort. It was night for humans but it was day for us. People always argued about why not going with the human schedule? Well, here was the answer. The Moroi could not stand the sunlight and I don't think they would want to be cooped up inside all day. God . . . such retards.

Adrian's arms went around my waist. He pressed my back against his chest. It was so comforting to feel his arms around me. I titled my head back and the back of my head rested on his shoulder. He leaned down and kissed my lips quickly. "Do you really want to go buy ice cream?" His lips began to slither down to my neck. He kissed my throat. "There is a hotel like two minutes away. We could get a room, get room service, and you can be _my woman_ for the night. What do you say?" His lips moved back to mine and he began kissing.

For the past few nights, the sexual tension between us had been too high. My hormones, when I was around him, had been so out of control. I didn't blame them. I could not see a woman who would not get turned on by Adrian. "Why the hotel?" I turned in his arms. "Why not the backseat of your car?"

He turned on a bright, mischievous smile. "Because Dimitri sits there and we don't want him to get jealous when he notices that the seat smells like you and I having fun." He pressed his lips to mine and our tongues did a little dirty dancing.

It felt like Déjà vu when I heard someone clear their throat. It was Adrian who broke the kiss because I did not feel like separating from Adrian just one bit. Adrian smiled when he saw my look of annoyance.

He leaned down and whispered in my ear, "We'll get back to this later." He winked and turned me so that we could face Dimitri.

"Dimitri, what do you want?" I asked, very annoyed.

Dimitri always being Dimitri answered without getting any emotion on his face. "I need to be protecting Moroi at all times. And it is not safe to be out here when Strigoi could be lurking around."

Awesome excuse. My being negative must have caused the weather to go from being semi-sunny to being cloudy in like a nanosecond. The weather changing made me hungry and it was not attractive when my stomach grumbled in front of the men. It made Adrian laugh.

He put his hand to my stomach. "My baby needs to be fed." I swear Dimitri's eyes almost popped out.

I rolled my eyes and pushed Adrian's hand away. "Just because I've gained five pounds and can't fit in some of my jeans, does not mean I am pregnant. You are so delusional."

I saw Dimitri take a huge breath. "A mall is nearby. I am sure your they sell your favorite kind of food there."

I looked at Adrian. He shrugged. "The mall it is," I said.

Dimitri had been wrong. My favorite food was nowhere in sight. I was satisfied when Adrian and I shared a foot long that was so delicious I had to get another one. Adrian just smiled and it his other half in silence.

I raised an eyebrow when is aw Adrian rise from his seat. I did not like that. He was supposed to stay at my side throughout the whole day. My nerves went over the edge when I thought about what he had said earlier about me being his woman.

"Do you want me to go with you?" I was not interested in the slightest. I wanted to stay sitting down with him by my side instead of walking around.

"No, love. It's a surprise for you."

He leaned down to peck me on the lips and left me alone with Dimitri. It was not awkward at all. _Rose, remember—sarcasm gets you nowhere._

"Soo . . . uh, comrade? How's it going?" I had absolutely no idea on what to say.

He didn't bother answering my question. He stood up and sat himself on the chair Adrian had been sitting on. I hope Adrian didn't come back soon and found me in a compromising situation. That would be bad and not cool.

"Rose . . ." There was so much emotion in his voice it was not even funny. It was like every emotion he had ever held back was in his voice in that moment. "I love you."

I raised an eyebrow. "Uh . . . thank you?"

I had no idea what to say.

"You probably don't believe me, but I love you." He even smiled while he said that. "I was wrong with Tasha. I never loved her. I was just attracted to her. And I know you found me with someone else. But every moment I was with her, I imagined it was you." He put his hand on my arm. "I love you, Rose. I can't deny it any longer."

I got mad. After all this time he finally says what I wanted to hear some time ago. Didn't he realize that right now I did not care about how he felt towards me? I had Adrian. And that's all I would ever need.

I straight out told him what I was thinking. "You don't know how much I have waited for you to say those things. But now they don't mean anything; I don't give a damn if you love me or not. Adrian is my whole life now."

"Rose . . . you don't mean that." For the first time in my life, I saw pain on Dimitri's face.

I shrugged. "You are just not worth it, Dimitri. Love doesn't always have to be expressed with words; it could be expressed with actions. Did not ever see it? I loved you, you know. I was ready to take on the world for you."

He seemed ashamed, but the expression faded. "I am going to prove that I am worthy for you. I am going to prove that I really do love you."

"Well . . . you can try" was all I could say.

Before, I wanted to bang my head against the table; now, I wanted to hurl myself out of a window of the two story mall. Adrian and Dimitri were fighting over who bought Rose the best things. It was fun at first because Adrian bought me an awesome diamond necklace and then Dimitri bought me an awesome Channel purse. But later, it was getting overrated. They gave me everything I wanted. It was natural for Adrian because he had money, but Dimitri. Where had he gotten all this money?

My smile was so huge as Adrian put this awesome black coat on me. "Babe, take it. It looks hot on you."

Oh, the coat was so soft. I never wanted to take it off. The coat was a Gucci one. I fell in love with it.

The fighting over who bought Rose the best thing game continued as we toured through the huge mall. Dimitri bought me a huge pretzel and shared it with me. Adrian bought me a large mango smoothie _and _a pretzel and shared it with me. It was delicious. Dimitri bought me awesome lips gloss; Adrian bought me a whole package of MAC makeup, which I am sure cost at least five hundred dollars. At last I said I was tired and they walked me to the car. But before we could go into the car, Adrian dragged me to a dealer nearby. I didn't know what the car company was; it was in some other language.

"What are we doing here?" I asked him.

"Buying you your car." He said simply.

Oh . . . my . . . God. "What?!"

"You heard me." He blew kisses me, which was so weird.

"Uh, no, Adrian. What is your dad going to say when he sees the bill for his credit cards?"

"That's his problem. Why did he bang my mother without permission?"

"Eww . . . parent sex is seriously disgusting. And I so did not want to know about your mother and father getting it on."

"I can't wait till we have our kids, lil' love."

"I don't plan on having kids."

He turned his mischievous smile on me. "Oh, you will." Some dude with a language I did not recognize came up to Adrian. Adrian pointed to me at times. After a couple of minutes he nodded. "I'll be right back, angel."

That left me standing with Dimitri. After today, I had grown gentle towards him. He was quiet right now. Maybe a lot was on his mind. I hated when people were quiet.

"Any wrong, comrade?"

He looked sad. "If something ever happens to me, Rose. I want you to save me."

I was confused. "Why do you say that, Dimitri?"

"Rose, please, no words. Just promises." He shut his eyes and looked at me seriously. "I want you to promise to save me."

"Okay."

The minutes passed by and soon Adrian was back. He smiled at me and wrapped both his arms around me.

"What took you so long?"

"I was buying your car. I had to do some paperwork, sign some shit, and pick out your car."

"Um, thanks for the gifts, but why a car?" I didn't like Adrian spending on me! It made me mad when he did. Sure, his gifts were awesome, but it made me feel like I was using Adrian for his money. "He loves spending money . . . so it's all good" Jade had once said. Her assurances didn't make me calm, though; they made me more upset that he had to waste all his money on me.

I was sick of it. I just wanted to go home. I didn't let him reply. "I want to go home."

"As you wish, my lovely."

Great, just great. When we wanted to leave, a massive thunder storm had to hit. Awesome.

I opened the door and almost got blown away by the strong wind blowing. There was hail falling as well. Wonderful. How were we going to get home now? Good thing Adrian had brought his Hummer, which was for off road, which was good for bad weather conditions as well.

"Are you serious? Can't you see the lady wants to get home?" Adrian yelled to the sky.

I chuckled and ran to his car. When I sat down, I was all wet from head to toe.

"I can't take you home looking like this, little dhampir. People are going to think I tried drowning you in the lake."

"Please. People know you would go down first." We continued arguing as Dimitri lounged quietly in the back.

Adrian convinced me to stay at a hotel because everywhere we drove, there was a sign that read "Slipper roads" and crap like that. Adrian drove into a Holiday Inn and got off to check for available rooms. He came back some minutes later with the news that there was only one room. Since nobody can leave the town, there was only ONE room at the hotel. Great. Now we had to share a room with Dimitri. That was going to be fun.

I followed Adrian to the room 312. He sighed and slid the key card into the door knob whatever you called those things. With the corner of my eye, I saw the he was struggling to hold back a smile. God, only Adrian would find this funny.

"What's so funny, babe?" I was getting a little mad because here I was about to spend the night with both of my boys. This called for some Jade talking time. But, no; my phone had decided to get no service up in here.

"Nothing," he said.

I hated when people answered my questions with "nothing." I swear it just made me want to slap the shit out of them.

The door finally opened and room was pretty, I supposed. There was only ONE bed. I could already see where this would go. I got and evil idea.

I pretended like I was really tired and I yawned hugely. "Well, I am tired. Who is going to share the bed with me?"

"I will." Adrian said so confident.

"No, let it be me." Dimitri said. I could predict another argument coming.

They argued for a few minutes and I let them. Finally, though, I stopped them. "How about I take the couch and you two can take the bed? No more arguing that way. And it looks like you will get nowhere with that arguing."

Paybacks a bitch, huh boys?

I held back a smile. "This is another test on who loves me the most. If you love me, you'll do it. But if you don't, I know that you don't love me." Ha. I walked to the bathroom and I let it all out. I laughed so evilly, hoping that Adrian and Dimitri didn't hear. I brushed my teeth. (I always carried my toothbrush no matter what in my purse.) I slipped out of my wet jeans and just stayed in my shorts that I always wore under my jeans during winter because they kept your butt warm.

When I got out of the bathroom, I saw that Dimitri and Adrian were already in the bed. I held back a million laughs. I didn't say anything I was walked over to the couch where one of my men had put blankets. I slipped in and wrapped a soft blanket around me.

A few minutes passed—they probably thought I was asleep—they began speaking.

"I just want her to be happy," Adrian says.

A smile formed on my face, but vanished when Dimitri spoke. Dimitri says, "With me?"

Adrian sighed dramatically. "I want her to be happy with whoever makes her happy."

I didn't hear the rest because as expected, the couch kind of took me over and made me fall asleep.

It was the middle of the night, when I felt someone slipping next to me in the couch. "What the hell?"

"It's me, babe. You didn't tell me Dimitri liked to snuggle in bed." I giggled, softly, because I didn't want to wake up Dimitri.

"I rather snuggle with you, than with Dimitri." A gave a little soft whimper when he put his hands around my waist and put himself under me so that I was lying on his chest. "You're heavy, babe." He said in a teasing tone and tucked my head under his chin.

"Your mom, bitch." He chuckled silently.

"Sleep, my amor. Tomorrow we got the whole day together." Before I knew it, I was out and practically dead asleep—not, knowing that tomorrow was definitely the day we _would _be together, emotionally and physically.

**Please review! **


	24. From Tragedy to Love

**When to go watch Eclipse yesterday! It was so awesome! I loved it and cried and got mad and a whole lot of other things! It's a MUST WATCH movie. So far, this movie is my favorite from the Saga. **

**You must be warned. **

**This chapter contains a very M Lemon. My cousin is a real huge fun from this story and she helped me write this chapter so I thank her. Don't blame me if you are suddenly nauseated; I warned you beforehand. Other than that, hope you enjoy. :) **

**Vampire Academy is all owned by Richelle Mead. I just look to fool around with this world. **

**A week before graduation . . .**

The day had started out so perfect, why did it have to change?

It all started when I was walking to the administrative office, looking for a clue as to where Dimitri was. I had looked all around campus and the office was kind of my last resort. He wasn't at morning practice, which surprised me because ever since we came back from the trip, he has been near me non-stop. And even though I hated to admit it, he had grown on me. I needed him in my life. He was my teacher of life. He like the snuggle bear a kid needs at night. Adrian was more like the oxygen we needed to breathe in order to live.

A huge smile was spread on my face because Adrian and I had a date later tonight. He was always trying to treat me like a princess and he did complete his task, quite well, I must say. Stars were shinning, ready to vanish as the sun was dawning.

Just then, I bumped into Alberta. I could see the sun was about to rise.

They looked liked they had been through hell. Their short hair was all over the place. Scratches and blood covered them. And they were both carrying two stakes in both hands. That only meant one thing: Strigoi. I knew where Dimitri had been. He had been battling with the Undead Dead.

"What the hell happened?" I was instantly alert.

"Rose, there is Strigoi on campus, but we chased some of them away. I trust you with this information and trust that you won't go around causing unnecessary disturbance by telling everyone that there are some Strigoi on campus. But this is something serious."

I nodded. "What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to go check around campus to see if there any people wandering around." My mother said, business mode at full blast.

"Rose, you might need this." Alberta handed me a stake. I curled my fingers around the hilt. It felt cold in my hands. I felt cold too. All I wanted was to kill these damn beastly things. I wanted to rid the world from them.

"How many Strigoi are on compass?" These were all questions that we needed to ask in order to pass our trials, which were next week.

"We estimate about two hundred." Alberta said. "The time has come when they outnumbered us. I will fight this battle like it is my last."

Brave, brave words. I admired her in that instant.

"Go do your task, Rose." My mother said already starting to walk/run ahead. Alberta followed shortly.

"Good luck, mom."

I saw her smile just a tad bit at the word "mom." Usually when I addressed her, I called her either mother or Janine.

"Good luck to you, too, my daughter." She left.

Oh. Crap. She. Did. Not. Just. Say. THAT. This was no time to worry of what she had said or not. I ran off to the most important person. I had to keep Adrian safe. He mattered most than the lives of all these people tonight.

I hurried my way to Adrian's room, hoping that he was okay. I got a whiff from the bond a sense of panic but I knew Lissa was safe. At least a million guardians were surrounding that area of the academy. I glanced sideways and for it had not been for that, I would have never seen Dimitri battling with at least twenty Strigoi. He had three other guardians and six other novices. But they were still outnumbered.

I debated whether to go to Adrian or to fight. Like mother, like daughter. My mother had passed on her fighting genes to me. That was obvious as the bloodlust rang through my body. It sang _kill! kill! kill! _And that's why I joined Dimitri in battling. The others must not have been a good entertainment for the Strigoi because at least fifteen out of the twenty Strigoi were surrounding Dimitri . I jumped in to help Dimitri.

"Roza!" The way he said my name with so much worry made my heart ache. But I didn't let it get to me. I put my killing mask on again. "What are you doing?! Go back to safety!" He growled while fighting with one of the Strigoi.

"Dimitri remember that we are in this together. You die, I die!" He nodded and continued on the Strigoi. We finished them off in minutes. We were so happy that we just hugged each other and kissed for a second.

I let go of him. A million things can happen in a second. The world can change in a second . . .

And it all happened in a second.

Seemingly out of nowhere, a Strigoi grabbed Dimitri from around the neck and bit him.

It all happened before my eyes.

All I could do was stare like an idiot. _Don't let feelings interfere when battling a Strigoi. _Dimitri's words whispered around the air. I couldn't snap out of this horrible vision. I would have died if not for Eddie saving my ass.

"Rose! Snap out of it!" He growled and started leading me away. As he led me forward, I took a look back and regretted it all at once. Dimitri had had his eyes closed but when he opened them, they were red. A blood red, that indicated that he was Strigoi now.

At first, I didn't know what to do. At last, I felt the tears just dripping from my eyes. Before I knew it, I had passed out from shock.

**Two days later . . .**

I stared at myself in the mirror. All I could see was a girl—not so much a girl—but, a woman, a woman who had pain filling her veins. There is only one way to take it out, Rose. _Go to Adrian. _That's all I could think about: I had to go the Adrian. He would make me forget about the pain; he would take it all away. I hadn't taken care of myself in two days it had to be. It was horrible. Every time I closed my eyes, I would see Dimitri falling and his red eyes. There had been a memorial for the lives we had lost the other night. It was the saddest thing in the world. People cried and mourned. So much sadness in the world right now. "They gave their lives for us and all we could do now is remember and honor them as the heroes they died" the priest had said. From Alberta, I had heard that the only reason the Strigoi attacked the academy was because a guardian that worked here, had killed one of their most famous leaders. He _must _have been so famous and awesome since he was killed by something less powerful than him.

I searched my closet for something decent to wear so that I could go to Adrian. I was still in lamentation, or in mourning, the deaths of the lost souls we lost during the battle. I pulled out a black mini dress that Adrian had once bought me. Black represented lament and that was the only reason I was wearing it. I took a quick shower, slipped the halter top dress with a belt at the waist on me, left my hair down, did a little hygiene on me, put on a coat, let my feet slide into some awesome ballet flats, and started towards Adrian's room.

In ten minutes, I was knocking on Adrian's door. He looked liked he had just gotten out the shower. His face was smooth as always, his hair styled the same as it always was, his clothes were neat with a button or two unbuttoned from his shirt. The only thing on him that showed imperfectness were those gorgeous, dark green eyes that held just about all the sadness in the world.

I put my hand on his cheek and he put his hand over mine. "Why are you so sad? I could see the pain in your eyes. And it hurts me as well it does you."

"It's Jade." He ushered me inside.

"What?! What happened to her? Why did I not hear about this sooner?!" I was freaking out. "What happened to her?" I demanded.

"One of the Strigoi played around with her." He took a breath. "He damaged her quite good. Doctor's don't know if she'll make it."

Oh, no. My sister had to live. She's _has _to live. I felt the warmth of my tears fill the corner of my eyes and slip down my cheeks. _She has to live. _I put my head in my hands, obscuring my face from my view. It was not long before Adrian was tugging at my hands and lifting my chin up to meet his face.

"It's going to be okay, Rose." Tears were falling out of his eyes and it hurt me to see his pain. "Jade is a fighter, you and I know that. She's going to make it out of this. My father will pay every last cent to save his daughter's life. No one would never let anything happen to our baby sister." He looked so serious and stopped crying. "Jade is going to live." He sounded so sure in that moment, there was no way to doubt him.

"I don't want anything to happen to her."

Shouldn't I be the one comforting him?

"I need you to be happy, so that I could be happy." He said. "Be happy that we are safe and together. Or would you rather be fried like all those dead people we lost two days ago? Jade wouldn't want us to be sad."

He wrapped his arms around me and lay down on the couch with me on top. "I don't know how to be happy right now. But you by me is sure helping me stay calm."

"And you send my emotions of control. I want and have to have you one second, and love and need you the next."

"You don't know what you cause me." I said, simply. "You don't know what you mean to me. But I sure as hell can show you."

He said with a mischievous smile, "Yeah." I nodded. "Well, show me." Actually, it was him who showed me how much he loved me. He glued his lips to mine and started kissing me with a passion! He and I kissed for ten minutes, only stopping when the real urge to breathe was present. Other than that, our lips would not untangle, and our tongues would not stop dancing.

We pulled away from each other, but only to kiss again, with more passion and desire this time.

He fumbled around until he took off my coat. Adrian sighed, running his fingers on the skin of my bare back, the bare skin my dress exposed of my back. Me in his arms, he knew that nothing else in the world mattered. He let his fingertips touch my back, softly, so the only thing I would feel were sensitive strokes from him. As expected, this only caused me to sigh, not in happiness, but in pleasure and complete bliss. A pleasure that he, and only he, could cause me.

We weren't undressed, but we were getting there, working our way, taking it slow; no impatience was needed here, since it was our first time. Since it was her my first time, I wanted to take things slow. For some reason, so did Adrian. Maybe because this was his first time making love with someone he actually loved, or maybe it was the fact that I was in his arms and that we loved each other, like no other couple on this planet loved each other.

He looked into my eyes, absolute love shining in them. I slipped my hands inside his black, thermal shirt and ran both hands down his smooth, marvelous chest. How could anyone be as beautiful as him? I had seen nothing, no sculpture, no painting, no human being that beat this beauty, his beauty. And it was only meant for me, me only. He only wanted to share these moments with me.

Nothing major was happening, but suddenly our intensity of passion increased. It was like lighting the end of a match, or like dropping a match into a puddle of spilled gas. But that fire that you started with those matches, burned in our skin. God forbid anything tear them apart.

Adrian put his lips over mine and my lips responded to his. As our lips mingled, or joined, our oxygen needs were becoming more and more urgent. I gripped Adrian's bare back. In response, he moved his lips down to my neck, where he gave me teasing kisses. This made me happier. Down, down his right hand traveled down my right side, until his hand curled around her leg; he brought it up so that he could wrap it around his waist.

We were both really breathless. But that only made our actions speed up. I let my hands slide into Adrian's shirt again, but this time, I slid his shirt over his head. Adrian's shirt was off and his bare chest made me breathless, about to swoon. What he showed me—what was underneath his shirt, made me breathless. I had never seen a sexier man. He had muscles exactly the way David Beckham had his. Also, Adrian had a light tan, which added to the sexy.

"Wow…you are sexy as hell." I let that phrase slide out of my mouth.

"And I say those words back to you, baby." I bit him lightly on the ear. That was my response to his comment. For a moment, he got distracted by my lips on his skin. He leaned down for some more . . . hungry, deep, air-shortening, tongue-tangling kisses. My hands, almost as if being told what to do without my consent, went to Adrian's belt buckle and unbuckled it. His pants were next to be unbuttoned. My hands on that area only caused Adrian's member to be harder than it originally was. As I looked back into his eyes, I noticed that the shining in them had changed. Now it was a mixture of love and lust, not just love like they had been filled with earlier.

There wasn't enough space on the couch so Adrian swooped me up in his amrs and carried me to his bed. We contiuned where we left off at.

Adrian started lowering himself. He grabbed one of my legs and started kissing his way up. His other hand, though, was making its way up to my exposed thigh. He pushed himself upwards, still kissing along the way. He reached my midsection, pulling my dress up so that he could get a better view. I thanked my moon that I remembered to wear a thong, and not my usual underwear. Adrian started pulling the dress's zipper down. He pushed the straps to the side and down it went until it reached the floor.

Adrian smiled, taking in my beauty. "Rose, you say I am sexy, but you are beautifully gorgeous." I moaned in real pleasure as he shoved his face in my private area, near my vulva. His twisted his tongue this way and that. It made my hands curl around the comforter. He lasted a few good minutes down there and then he moved up, unfortunately. I started removing his black boxers; they were a disturbance to what we were going to do next. He kissed me some more.

Finally, though, we had to get more of each other than we were giving. He knew this was my first time; he knew he had to be gentle on me. But that didn't stop him from asking the next question: "Babe, are you sure you are ready to do this?" He looked seriously into my eyes. I wasn't exactly ready. That was understated, though. No one would ever be ready for anything. That was what life was—giving in to whatever you felt was right. So, that's why, I nodded my head, addressing that I was ready to do this, especially with my love of life.

He stroked my cheek for a second, and then leaned down to kiss me softly. Once. Twice. He shifted his lips' attention to Rose's neck.

"I have never done this before," Rose whispered, very self-conscious.

He softly whispered, "That's alright."

And I watched as this marvelous _thing_ turned into the most loving person in this world. I had never had another day when I loved so much.

"Spread your legs a little farther," he said. As I did, I could feel Adrian nearing her. "I am sorry, Rose. This will hurt." I nodded again.

Without further ado, I felt him trying to go inside. It was understandable. This was my first time, and my hymen needed to be destroyed in order for Adrian to go in completely. Adrian eased himself more into me.

Oh. God. Did. It. Hurt. It hurt _baddddddd._ I hissed out in pain, but he only kissed her. Adrian didn't go any slower for me, either. It was better; the pain would be over much sooner. And both of us didn't feel like going slow, at this moment. No thrusting was happening; some time later, Adrian let his whole weight down on me, making me gasp out in pain. He began thrusting—thrusts that made me fill with the best pleasure of my life. Why hadn't I done this sooner? I was glad I hadn't. I was sharing this wonderful moment with the love of my life. I never wanted it to stop . . .

I cuddled closer to Adrian and he held out his arms wider for me to creep into. I leaned my head against his chest. He started smoothing my hair, which was wild. Hence the reason they called it 'sex hair.' He kissed my forehead. "Wasn't it wonderful, my love?" He asked in my ear.

"It was amazing . . ." I didn't really want to speak. I wanted to cherish the after-sex moment. It was wonderful, but I was getting sleepy. He smiled his loving smile. It made my heart skip a beat. "I love you, Rose." My heart swelled until it felt like my rib cage would explode.

"You know I love you, too." My eyelids were drooping even more than before. "God, why am I so tired?"

He chuckled. "It happens…" he laughed again as I struggled to stay awake. "We had a rough night. You need sleep." He kissed me a hungry kiss. He brought me even closer to him, practically setting me on top of his chest. He wrapped the blankets around us tighter. His slipped his arms around me much harder than they had been, our legs tangling as our arms did. He gave me one last kiss and I fell asleep in my lover's arms.

**The next chapter, it might be a while since I update because I totally changed the plot and I need to think of some ideas. Again . . . if you have any suggestions for me, I am all ears. Thanks! And please review! Tell me what you thought of this chapter!**

**Lots of amor**

**-Mel! **


	25. One Last Time

**Well, this chapter was the saddest chapter I ever had to written. I was crying while writing. Hope you like…and don't hate me for doing this. It will get better! **

I woke up to Adrian's arms wound tightly around me. I knew he was awake because he was softly kissing the bareness of my shoulder. I smiled immediately formed on my face. I chuckled quietly. He instantly noticed my change and he knew I wasn't asleep anymore. The soft kisses turned a little bit deeper as he moved his way up to my lips.

The calm breath I had was now ragged. "Hey, beautiful. Wonderful night, right?"

"Perfect night." I whispered, still having my eyes closed.

"Open your eyes, lovely. I want to see those beautiful brown eyes."

I opened my eyes and he started attacking me with kisses all over. It was cute and awesome. I had never seen such a gentle side to him.

"Rose, love. Let me ask one question."

"Go ahead . . ."

"Marry me?" I froze and he continued to kiss my bare shoulders, neck, lips, waiting for me to answer. "We would make the perfect married couple and the prettiest kids."

He tried meeting my gaze but I was looking at anywhere but him. Thankfully, my phone beeped, claiming I had a voicemail. Without saying anything, I checked the message. It was my mother saying that she wanted me to go somewhere within an hour.

"Jeez, what could my mother want now?"

"What's wrong?"

"She wants me to meet her in an hour."

Adrian pulled the blanket off me that was wrapped around and he took over the blanket's spot. My whole insides warmed. "Well, that gives us an hour to enjoy ourselves. . ." I giggled, but soon had to stop because he wasn't kidding about enjoying ourselves.

I immediately found the place after some time of walking around the academy. I opened the door to find a circle of people. They were all young dhampir girls, classmates of mine. They were the ones who I recognized as dating Royals. My suspicion began to rise. There was an open seat beside my mother who seemed to be the oldest in the room beside Guardian Jacobs.

"What is going on?" I asked my mother in a whisper because the room had gone quiet all of a sudden.

My mother nodded to a blonde dhampir with brown eyes at the front of the room. The girl was one who would cause pity at the site of her. All the skin that was visible had scars. There were three kids by her side. Two boys and one girl. They were probably her children, I supposed.

"Well, hello everyone. I'm Amber." I felt like I was in a Alcohol Anonymous group/meeting whatever the fuck you called those because everyone around me muttered "Hello, Amber."

Okay, lady, on with the show. I want to know why I am here.

"You ladies are all young. So filled with life." She paused for a breath and it sounded like she was in pain. "That's how it used to be for me. Everything was perfect. I used to party every night, ditch school now and then, have a girls night every now and then, have crushes . . . my life was the average teenage life you guys have." In no way, shape, or form was she right about our lives being that way. All we were allowed to do was . . . train, train, and train to kill the undead dead. It was a lucky thing if we were allowed to do _one _of the things she had just mentioned. My suspicions grew even higher.

The _What happened? _question was in the air. Nobody had to voice it out loud in order for Amber to continue.

"All it took was one night and my life changed forever. At that time, it seemed like it had changed into something good, but now I realize that it was the worst change my life could have made." She looked sadly around at us. "My friend and I were at a party. We were having the fun of our life. Just about when we were about to leave, I bumped into what I had to say the sexiest guy in the world. I just stared at him and he stared right back. An instant connection, no doubt. My friend wanted to leave already but I told her I wanted to stick around a little longer. The guy, Seth, said he would take me home."

I wanted it to be otherwise, but I was very interested in the story.

"It went from there. Since the night we met, we couldn't get enough of each other. We talked on the phone for hours. We spent most nights together. Days were spent together as well. It was just three weeks that I had met, and he proclaimed that he loved me. And I loved him back. We loved each other and we wanted to be together." She paused. "Oh, I forgot to mention. Seth was a Royal Moroi. An Ivashkov."

I looked at my mother from the corner of my eye and she was staring at me with a meaningful look in her eye. I turned back to Amber.

"Seth Ivashkov was the perfect man. Two months into our relationship, he asked me to marry him. I was young and didn't give a second thought to anything . . . I agreed. A month later, we were married. It was all fun and games. It was a good marriage. He treated me like a princess, his princess. Our marriage lasted a year when it started going downhill. We would fight for whatever reasons and it seemed normal as all perfectly sane marriages have arguments."

I agreed with her. All sane marriages, I had heard, were supposed to have arguments and a good sex life.

"We were celebrating his birthday, his family didn't disapprove of my lowness, so we were at his parents' house. I asked him what he wanted as his birthday present and he said he wanted a son. I was young and I wasn't very much into taking care of a small person who would cry all the time. So, I said no. That upset him, I guess. When we got home, he and I both started getting drunk. He was the one who drank most. Alcohol impairs your judgment . . . his judgment was impaired."

She closed her eyes as she began telling us this part of her life. "He became very violent and he said he was the king here and he got what he wanted. He got what he wanted." She closed her eyes as tears rolled down her cheeks. "He raped me." I had to struggle to hear that part of her story. "He beat me. The most horrible things you can imagine, he did to me. The next day he woke up like he owned the damn world."

I didn't have any words to say. I was shocked.

"Our first son was born eight months later, thought the beatings and raping still continued. A few months after our first son was born, our second son was conceived. You would think that he would change for his children, but no. Everything was the same." She lowered her voice. It was hard for her to talk about this, I could see. "Our last child was my miracle baby. She was the one who saved me, who changed my life, who encouraged me to seek help. I did it. Seth was not thrown in jail for a long time like I would have loved. He paid major amount of money to not go to jail for the amount that was expected." She closed her eyes briefly and then opened them again. "So that's my story. Moral of the story: Never fall in love with a royal Moroi. They only want you for several things. And when they get tired of you, they will just throw you away and get another one. They say they love you but it's not true. Never believe it. Get out now before it's too late and my story repeats with you." She looked so serious into our faces.

Millions of thoughts were going through my head as I stood up. It was all a jumbled mess in my head. _Ivashkov . . . love . . . deceiving. . . not true . . . rape . . . used . . . beat. . . no way out . . . end this now. End this now. I have to end this now before it is too late. Ivashkov men deceive. You have to end this now. Now. End. Now. Before it is too late. _

_. . _

I rose from my chair, confused and depressed, wishing I were somebody else. I walked around the academy with the worlds _end this now_ swirling my thoughts. That's all I could focus on. Seth Ivashkov. Adrian _Ivashkov. _End this now. Gathering strength I didn't know I had, I made my way to his room, feeling emptier than a person who hasn't had food in three days.

I knocked on Adrian's door. He opened it up and I felt confused. _End this now. _

He wore that smile that I used to find attractive and now I didn't. "Babe, come back for more?" He took one look at me and he began instantly alarmed. "Love, what's wrong?!"

The way he called me _love _didn't bring out the feelings that used to start me as he called me that.

He tried putting his arms around me. "Don't touch me." I said, coldness in my voice.

"Rose, did I do something wrong—tell me what's wrong?"

"I'm sorry. I can't keep doing this. I don't want it to go on."

"It's killing me, Rose . . . _what is wrong_?!" He seemed a little crazed now. He reached for me again.

"I said _don't touch me_!" I growled. "I want it over with, Adrian. I don't want it to happen to me."

"Babe, nothing is—"

"Don't call me that! You deceiving person!" I was so mad. I hope tears didn't start falling soon.

"Rose . . ." Adrian whispered with so much pain in his face that it melted the ice that had formed in my heart.

"It's over, Adrian."

He looked at me like he hadn't understood a word I had said. "It's over. I am breaking up with you. It's never going to work out. Your rich and I am poor. Your high-class I am low class. Don't you get that; it can never work out."

"Rose, we love each other. We are soul mates. We can make anything work out. That's what we do. We are always there for each other."

"Understand, Adrian! I can't be with you! You and I are not soul mates. Soul mates are meant for each other and they are the same. They have everything in common. We don't."

I started walking towards the door. He wrapped his hand around my wrist and turned me around. "Rose, you can't leave me. I love you so much. I can't bare a day without you. You are my soul mate and you know it!"

I almost caved. Almost.

"Adrian! The reason I am breaking up with you is because I don't love you anymore! Okay, I suddenly lost interest." I put on my hard mask. I felt not one bit strong, though.

I had never seen Adrian cry. Never. It killed me. He got down on his knees. "How could you go after such a wonderful night and morning like the one we shared? How could you, Rose? I love you, isn't that all that matters? I love you!"

"I don't care!" I let go of his hand and walked even farther away from him.

"I am begging you, Rose. Don't leave me." He whispered all the signs of yelling gone from him. "I beg you, Rose, don't leave me. I am nothing without you. My soul is no longer something I will have without you. My life will no longer be real without you. I need you. Rose, I beg don't go."

"I lost interest, Adrian. Too late. My heart is somewhere else."

I left, knowing that the words I had just said were not one bit true. My heart, now broken, was still in there, with the man I couldn't be with . . .

**Thanks for the awesome reviews! I love you all! **


	26. Life of the Lonely

**Thanks for reviewing! I know it was hard to see Adrian/Rose apart. But like I say so many times: It will get better and this is an Adrian/Rose story . . . why would I keep them apart for long? I am that cruel. Plus, I love writing about Adrian and Rose. I need to write faster so that I can get to chapter 28 which is my favorite . . . no wait. Chapter 29. Yeah. That chapter is the cutest in my opinion, so review and you'll see how awesome that chapter is. Anyways, enough of my rambling. **

**I don't own Vampire Academy, I really wished though. **

**Two years later . . . **

**Rose's POV**

A lot had happened in two years. I had graduated from the academy with great guardian honors and lots of other crap. Lissa had been the smartest out of our senior class, which wasn't surprising because she was a total NERD—something I wished I could be, but hell, we can all dream. I hadn't been surprised when they had assigned me to her. The feeling that I got when I realized that I was going to be her guardian was one of pure pride.

The queen, which didn't like me and I had made it very clear that if she was going to be a bitch, her bitchiness was going to be returned. She got _that _message very clear. We hated each other. The queen, Tatiana, wanted Lissa to educated hear at the Royal court, where only the finest teachers of the Moroi world taught. Lissa was studying to be a makeup artist, a cosmetician. Jade and Lissa had gotten over their hatred because it was clear that Christian did not want anybody but Lissa.

Jade was dating someone, but she would not spill who! I made me mad! My best friend Eddie, got assigned to Mia Rinaldi, the huge bitch. She wasn't _that _much of a bitch anymore since we started to know her. She was actually kind of cool. She was only a bitch if you were a bitch to her first.

And oh my God! I discovered that Christian Ozera could actually smile! A real smile! It happened one night when we were both walking to Lissa's room and I asked him if he loved Lissa and there it was—the smile! Such an amazing thing. Christian's guardian, I was very surprised when I found out that Christian had received any guardian. His parents had turned themselves into the undead dead and that brought down a bad reputation on the Ozera's. Erick, Christian's guardian, was interested in me, and I admit, he was kind of cute, but he couldn't compare to the beautifulness of my Adrian.

Adrian. Sigh. I missed him terribly. I couldn't get over his tormented, tear streak face as he begged me not to leave me. I hadn't hear, seen from him ever since that horrid day. Well, the day I graduated, I bumped into him on the exact spot where we met. He and I just stared at each other. He tried reaching for me, but I was confused and stupid and left! _That _was the last time I heard of him and it hurt not see his pretty face each day like I would have loved to see.

Jade kept on bugging me about how I should date, that hot twenty year olds shouldn't be single, that they should be partying every night and having one night stands. I replied to her outburst with a simple "I'm not interested in anyone; my heart is still where it has to be." And she had just smiled like she had just won a bet. Wonder what was up with that?

There was nothing new in my life. I went out on a date with Erick here and there, but that was all. I had not touched a man ever since that night with Adrian. I knew there wouldn't, _couldn't _be a life without Adrian. Recently, I felt like there was someone following me. Perhaps I had gained a stalker. It all started one night when I was guarding Lissa. I saw a man dressed all in black, staring at me. I rushed Lissa to safety and came to investigate the area with a couple more guardians. There was no one there, except a note that didn't even make sense because it was in another language. Well, whatever was following me, I hoped it wasn't bad.

"What about this shirt?" Lissa asked, holding up a green blouse that matched her eyes very well. I was so focused on my thoughts that I had forgotten Lissa. Wow. What a wonderful guardian.

Even though I hadn't taken good care of myself because of me being a guardian, that didn't mean I wasn't still a girl with a passion for shopping. I gave her the advice a girl would give to another girl when it came to clothes. "I love it, Liss. Buy it!"

She threw it into the bag. "What about you, Rose? What do you like? I'm buying today. And plus, you need something new because of our triple date tonight with Jade, her man, me, my man, you and your . . . _friend._ _And _your dressing style has gotten so _boring _lately."

For that I didn't have anything to say because it was true. I had gotten so boring lately.

"Here, let's choose and outfit for you." She started going through racks and racks of clothes it was scary. Jade had come tagged along on the shopping trip and now was helping Lissa look for a whole new wardrobe for me. Lissa bought me shoes, shirts, and pants. Jade bought me the same things as Lissa just doubled in amount and Jade added accessories to the sale. They were pampering me. Since Jade had two guardians with her, they decided to put me off duty and we got a total makeover at the spa. A blonde lady cut all my unnecessary dead hair. Jade told the lady that I needed some color in my hair; I ended up getting highlights of two colors; one was a shade lighter than my natural hair and the other was a dark, dark blonde. I asked for an awesome white-tip manicure with flowers and diamonds and a pedicure that matched. Jade also suggested thinning out my eyebrows a little to add a little sexy. And that was it.

I stared at myself in the mirror, loving my highlights. "Jade . . . you are an angel. I love my hair."

"A little color here and there is never too much." She smiled. "I love your hair too." Both her and Lissa had gotten awesome haircuts that I would never rock. Jade had gotten an awesome Victoria Beckham bob. It was long in front and short in back. She also had gotten golden brown highlights and it made her look really pretty. Lissa got her hair in lots of layers. She decided not to add color to her hair.

"We all look hot. Now let's go get hotter for our not-so-hot dates tonight." Jade suggested.

"Well, except for Christian. He is so _hot _he can burn any building he is in." Lissa joked.

Since Lissa was my boss, I didn't have to ask for the day off like other guardian's would. That didn't mean I would stop being on the lookout for danger. Jade, Lissa, and I all gathered at Jade's penthouse here in the Royal Court. Her house it was awesome! I loved it! The three of us got ready together. I threw on what Jade and Lissa had picked out for me for tonight. Jade picked out an awesome pair of mid-rise, dark skinny jeans, a midnight blue corset shirt, black ankle boots, and a dark gray career jacket. Lissa accessorized me with a beaded corsage necklace, a set of bangles, and a weird, yet awesome black ring. I actually put some effort into my hair. I straightened my hair, made a bump in front, and a little poof in the back. Jade did my eyes in a weird, smoky eye way that I loved. She added natural lip gloss as a final touch. Jade and Lissa looked good as well. Jade black one should dress with open toe ankle boots. And Lissa wore a tunic with a gray pencil skirts and some black pumps.

We looked so good, that in fact, when we met up with the guys, they almost toppled over, starting at us. I wasn't really paying attention to that. I was paying attention to Jade' boyfriend. He was . . . human. We were not allowed to tell humans about our existence, much less date a human. What was Jade thinking? She would get in trouble for this.

Erick gave a little wave of his hand and came to stand next to me, appreciative at what he saw.

"Rose," Jade began with a smile filled with light as she pointed to her man, "this is my boyfriend Jonathon, the guy I used to make mud pies with." She chuckled and he chuckled as well.

"Hey, Jonathon." I didn't know what else to say as we shook hands.

"Lovely to meet you, Rose. Jade has told me a lot of wonderful things about you as well as Adrian." Adrian's name made me a little less joyful, but I made sure my smile stayed in place.

"Oh, that better not have been bad or else someone's kicking their ass kicked."

"Pumpkin, you know I would never talk bad about you." Jade teased.

"Don't worry, Rose. She told me of how a bad ass guardian you were." I could just hear this guy's voice all day. He had the loveliest accent. It had to be from Australia. He didn't have a high amount of accent where it got to the point of not understanding a word he was saying; he had the perfect balance—the accent was barely there and it made his voice sound sexy. He had the bluest eyes, dark as midnight. He had bronze hair and he had this weird shaped tattoo on his neck. "I wish you teach me your guardian moves. As an alchemist, they only teach you so much. I would like to learn the real guardian moves."

Oh, he was an alchemist. Adrian had said something about them, something like they cleaned serviced Moroi . . . or it was a long time ago and I couldn't remember. "I'll teach you one day. Let's have fun tonight."

Jade and her man and Lissa and Christian walked up ahead. I was left behind with Erick.

"Hey, good looking." I smiled at him as he said those words. "What made you finally agree to go out with your friends?"

"Lissa and Jade."

He laughed. "Those two together are unstoppable."

"That's an understatement."

He reached for my hand and intertwined mine with his. I felt weird. I hadn't held hands with anyone in a really long time.

"You should go out more. Get a boyfriend."

I sighed. "I don't know if anyone is interested in me." I said, trying to keep it light.

His brown eyes showed a little interest. "I'm interested." He became serious. "Rose, you are a beautiful person. . ." He struggled for a breath as he was nervous. "Here goes nothing," I heard him whisper. "I love you, Rose. You have been the greatest friend and you made me realize that there was more to life than one night stands. I. Love. You. Rose."

I shook my head. "I'm sorry."

"For?"

"I'm sorry I can't love you back. My love is still with the same person. I love _him. _I am sorry. And I do love, but I am not _in _love with you." My eyes closed I said this. Just when I was about to have fun, he came up with this. My words were true. I couldn't love anyone, well I could, but I couldn't be _in love _with anyone but Adrian. He was who I loved. He was the one I would give me life for. He was my life, my heart, my soul, my everything . . . my world.

**Adrian's POV**

I took a long drag of my cigarette as I stared down at the world below me. The balcony I was on was the perfect setting for the newest canvas I was going to paint. I took a huge interest in art over the past year. I painted many things under the name "Master Adrian." I had painted over thirty canvases that hung in the art museum two blocks away. The sky was dark, with a bright moonlight that would suit my painting well. The title of my newest painting would be "Love Wounds Bleeding." Well, the title said it all. I took the last drag of my cigarette and stopped at it with my foot. With nothing else to do, I thought of Rose, something I did so frequent. I thought about her beautiful smile, her gorgeous body, her wonderful browns. I thought about the first and last night we shared together. How we didn't even need words to express our love. I missed her terribly and I still did not believe her words about her not loving me. But, believe it not, they were probably true.

I thought about the latest txt message I had received from Jade. She had recommended a song for my depression. She just loved to torture me. I replayed the song because it was true. It was perfect for me. But it would have been much better if I had dedicated it to Rose because it fit what she did to me so perfectly.

_Someday, I'm gonna run across your mind_

_But don't worry, I'll be fine_

_I'm gonna be alright_

_While you're sleeping with your pride_

_Wishing I could hold you tight_

_I'll be over you_

_And on with my life_

The shuffling of feet made me come back to life. I was ready to paint and this had to be the best painting yet because I was going to send it to the love of my life. Hope she liked it.

I sat down on the stool and began to pain "Love Wounds Bleeding."

**Hope you liked. Please tell me what you think. **


	27. Last Dream

**Well, hope you enjoy this chapter! I want to thank you all for helping my story reach 300 reviews! You guys rock! I love you!**

**I don't own Vampire Academy!**

I was having a good time despite what Erick had said earlier. We were all gossiping, well Jade, Lissa, and I were gossiping, when Jonathon tapped his fork against the champagne glass. We all stopped our chatting and looked up at him. He seemed a little nervous, but he wore a smile on his face as he looked down, lovingly, at Jade. She smiled with the same kind of love.

"Well, the reason I brought you here tonight was because I wanted to ask you something."

Jade smiled, urging him to continue. "Ask me anything, babe." She winked. I had an idea where this was going—how couldn't she realize what he was about to ask.

"I remember the first day I met you, I picked you up because you had fallen off your sing and snow was covering half your body." Jade chuckled. "I watched you through the years and I couldn't believe I hadn't realized you were my one. But then, everything changed. It was just one day and I realized you were my one true love and the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, each and every day of the rest of my life. I already talked to your father and he agreed . . . now, I ask"—he kneeled down on one knee before Jade, a black box in his hand the held a perfect diamond ring and by now, Jade's mouth was hanging open, her eyes wide with shock—"will you marry me, Jade Ivashkov?"

I gave a little gasp of surprise. She looked at me as if to ask _is this really happening? _I smiled at her and she turned back to Jonathon. Then, tears started falling out of her eyes. "I—I don't know what to say." She was crying, but obviously still shocked. "Maybe you should say, YES." I stage whispered and she chuckled. "Oh, my God." She laughed and threw her arms around Jonathon's neck. "YES!"

We celebrated all through the night. She and Jonathon just laughed and smiled at each other like they had just won the lottery. And quite frankly, they had. I felt somewhat jealous of them. This could have been Adrian and I. It could have been me crying and laughing as I told that I would marry him. It could have been . . . . I decided not to depress myself any longer. I faked a smile and pretended to be happy for Jade's sake, drinking a lot more than I was supposed to.

I laughed a little as I made my way with Jade to her penthouse. She had invited me to stay with her because she didn't like being alone. Someone was always there with her, according to her. Man, these heels were killing me. I leaned against the wall as I took of the awesome pair of ankle boots that had been a gift from Jade's credit cards. As soon as my bare feet touched the ground, I moaned rather loudly you would think I was having an orgasm right then and there. "Why did you make me accompany you? Why didn't you ask Jonathon? He could have kept you totally occupied and he would have made you forget about your fears about being alone?" I gave her a teasing wink.

She half smiled. "Jonathon isn't like that. He says he wants to wait till the time is right so we do the deed." She squealed softly. "I still cannot believe I am getting married!"

"Me neither! Damn . . . it was such a cute thing when he asked you to marry him!"–She smiled so hugely. "I know! I can't believe I cried like a baby." Her eyes softened a little. "What makes me happy is that you would have cried as well if my brother had asked you to marry him."

I sobered up a little. I did not like to talk about Adrian and marriage . . . it depressed me too much. Athon, the nickname I had made up for him because his real name was too long, reminded me too much of Adrian. Adrian would only give in only if and when I was ready. "It's good that you wait." It was all I could think to say. It was at her door where I stumbled on a brown package. It came in a box that you had to pay a good amount of money to ship out. _Overnight _. . . _Express _. . . two stickers read on the box as I picked it up. The label said that this package was for me. Why would this send it here when this wasn't even my house? How did they know I would be here tonight? And why was it addressed to me, but it had no address from the sender? Too many questions, no answers.

I looked at Jade and she just shrugged, looking away momentarily. With curiosity, hoping it wasn't a bomb, I tore at the package only to reveal the most perfect painting in the world. There was a note attached to it. It was printed out so I didn't have any idea who would have sent this. I was disappointed when I read the note. It only said "Love Wounds Bleeding." I admired the painting and realized it was a woman in the moonlight, holding a rose with lots of thorns to her palm, blood dripping from the wounds that had been left when she grasped the rose too hard. The title of this painting might as well have been "Rose causes Bleeding." Even though I didn't know who the hell it was from, I decided to keep it because it was so my life right now. In a way, it kind of gave me closure . . . I didn't know how to describe it. It gave me peace.

"Wow . . . that has to be one of a kind." Jade whispered, awed by what she saw.

"I agree." She looked at me like she really wanted to tell me something; I could see she was fighting. "Anything wrong?" She shook her head. Everything was quiet from then on . . . .

**Three months later . . . **

I found myself going over to Jade's once again. Ever since that painting (it now hung on my wall) came into my life, it had reminded me more and more of Adrian. Somehow, I wanted more of his life and his life consisted of his baby sister . . . Jade. Every night, Jade and I went over her wedding details as I was her Maid of Honor. She sought me out for advice for anything. And that was good. The more the Jade, the more the Adrian. Today she had scored an appointment with the best wedding dress designer at the Royal court. Her wedding was only three months or so away and she needed a dress fast. According to, well, everyone, this lady was the best and could have the prettiest dress done in a month.

I was about to knock on Jade's door when she was already there, ready for action. "Anthon's sister is coming, too. We'll meet her at the boutique. You are also going to try on bride's maid dresses there, too."

I nodded and we started walking. "So, when are you and Anthon going to start popping out kids?"

"She gave me a weird look. "I am only nineteen years old. Having kids is for you, the now twenty-one year old." My birthday had been last week and I was not happy with the age. Well, I was. I was just not happy the way I was spending it. Lissa had gone on a trip, a college trip, last week as well and since Tatiana hated me, she had not been happy with the idea of me going. Tatiana made ten other guardians go in my place. Well, at least I got some time off and spent that time off why my bitch Jade. See, that's what Jade and I were. BBF. Best Bitches Forever.

"Yeah, I am going to have my first kid when I am thirty."

She waggled her eyebrows. "I am assuming that my brother is going to be the sperm donor."

"Sure, if I ever see him again."

She winked. "That you will, my bitch, that you will." She didn't let me have any more time asking questions before she was calling out, "SYD!" and running and hugging a girl with blonde hair that was standing, looking lost. The girl smiled when she noticed Jade. "Sydney, I want you to meet, Rose. Rose, Sydney, Rose." Jade introduced us. The girl—Sydney—smiled at me. I smiled back. "Come on, let's get going." Jade asked, grabbing both of our hands and leading us into a luxury-looking boutique.

There were awesome dresses everywhere! I fell in love with all of them. "Ms. Jade Ivashkov! The last time I saw you, you were with Krestel as she was buying _her _wedding dress and now you are buying _your _wedding dress! Funny how the years just go by!" A plump lady with lots of jewelry on gushed from behind the store. Luckily, the store was empty.

"Jenny!" Jade hugged the lady and they chatted up a storm. "Excuse us, ladies, I have to take Jade to the back. Irene over there can help you with your dresses."

Sydney and I were left alone. I tried making conversation. "So, do you have any plans of marriage?"– She smiled. "My Devin hasn't popped the question yet. How about you?"

"Well, I've give up on love because love's given up on me." I had a straight face as I said it.

"Oh, no. Who broke your heart?"

I liked this girl so I decided to tell her. "First was a guy that turned Strigoi. His name was Dimitri Belikov. Then, I fell in love with Jade's brother . . ." She looked at me like I was crazy. "What?"

"Dimitri Belikov . . . ?"

"What about him?"

"I know him and he is no Strigoi. He is downright dhampir."

"Are you fucking serious?!" She nodded. Oh, fuck no. I got mad, real mad. I swear I even saw red. I could not believe Dimitri. I could not believe his stupid ass. Why did he do this to me? I wanted to punch the first thing I could get my hands on. I saw Sydney move a step away from me. Was the anger that obvious on my face? Then, I thought about things. Why was I getting mad? It wasn't really Dimitri I loved. It was Adrian. I should be worrying about him and not Dimitri. "I can't believe it." I said, calmer now.

Just then, Irene spoke. "Well, ladies, if you'll follow me to the back. I need to get your measurements . . ." I tuned her out and followed her to the back. Irene said that we would not see our dresses till the day Jade got married. What happened if we gained or lost wait by that time? Screw these bitches. I had better things to worry about like . . . "ROSE!" Jade's scream made me jump. I hurried to where her voice was coming from and I saw her crying, jumping up in happiness.

"What's wrong?"

"I need your advice . . . is this dress pretty? Does it look good on me? Should we add something more?" The dress was pretty, but she needed something sexier. I hadn't realized I had voiced my thought aloud when she nodded, agreeing with me.

As she tried the next dress, she began asking me questions."Why aren't you dating, Rose?"

" In my job, love isn't permitted."

"Sure…or are you waiting for someone…say like my brother?" She slowly turned towards me. I tried hiding a smile. The smile slipped out. That was all she needed.

I became serious. "Jade…" I closed my eyes and sighed, longingly, longing for Adrian. "I lost him already."

She wasn't moved by my words. "Quit worrying about my brother…he'll be here soon!" Those subtle hints were dropped by her for the next ten minutes. They were starting to annoy me.

"Can I ask you something?" I shrugged. "Why did you leave Adrian?"

I told Jade about Amber, the one who had thought that she actually had a chance at happiness with a royal and how it turned out she was wrong. From the corner of my eye, I saw Jade start to fume.

"I can't believe you believed in that little cheap whore!"

"What do you mean?"

"She is a total bitch! That story she tells. It's ALL a lie. What she said was not true! My cousin is Seth Ivashkov and I know the whole truth. None of it was true. I am surprised that you heard it." She seemed to be a little calmer, but I could see the anger in her eyes.

"Why?"

"My Uncle Dane had to pay billions of dollars to shut everyone up about that story; he didn't want the Ivashkov's to get an even worse reputation."

I cringed at the word _billions. _How much money did these people have? "If it is not true . . . then why would Amber want the whole world to know?"

"She's mad. Let me tell you the real story. Seth is the nicest person you'll ever meet. He doesn't care about money and his class or anything like that. He said he was looking for love and that's when he found Amber. Amber was—is a total slut. It wasn't Seth that raped her . . . it was her 'best friend' and she blamed it on Seth. Seth loved her and he said 'I'll be with you even if that kid isn't mine.' So she went out drinking and got raped again. From another guy. She had another kid and still Seth stayed with her. Seth is too nice. I would have dumped her ass in no time. Anyways, Amber was mad that Seth didn't care of what she did; she went crazy saying 'Oh, he doesn't care about me, blah, blah, blah.' I remember slapping her that day." Jade chuckled.

"So Amber paid this actor that looked too much like Seth and she paid him to pretend like he was raping her so that she could 'get back at Seth for not caring.' And that day, I guess Seth snapped and he went out and started living again. Amber saw him cheating and she went even crazier. Amber turned the pictures and the video tape to the cops; she said, 'I will make sure that your life is a living hell. You will not be happy with anyone anymore!' My poor cousin would have had his ass thrown in jail if not for the actor speaking up and saying that it was him that was doing that to Amber because he had paid him to do it. Just like that, case dismissed. As they dragged her out of the court, she was screaming things like 'You'll regret this!' 'Your life is going to be hell that you will wish you were dead.'" Jade shook her head. "And that's the story."

I was instantly mad again. "WHAT THE HELL? She made me believe that—I cannot believe—why did I ever—and Adrian and I apart—that stupid slut . . ." I was so mad I couldn't get a real sentence out of my mouth. "I am apart from Adrian because that lying, deceiving bitch! I ought to kill her!"

Jade laughed. "Ha. You do that. I'll help if you need the help." I shook my head, clearing my head and focusing on Jade's wedding dress which I loved.

After the dress shopping and the conversation with Jade, I couldn't help but feel depressed. I was depressed all day, even when it was time for some sleep. I was depressed because I had separated from Adrian because of a stupid reason. I could have been with him now. I went straight to be and let it all out, crying my ass off. At one point, Jade walked in. She went in bed with me and she put her arm around me as an older sister would do if their younger sister is in need of comfort. It made me cry even more.

"Relax…he might be closer than you think . . ." I heard her whisper before exhaustion took over, but soon my dream's edges began to blur which could only mean one thing. Adrian was dream walking on my dreams . . .

**Adrian's POV**

I stared at the blank screen of my laptop, wondering how I could start the essay my college professor had asked for. I wanted to take over for my father. He owned _Microsoft_. My roommate, Cohen, was drunk yet again so all you heard from his side of the bed were soft snores. He had a girl safely tucked under his arm. I didn't want to know anything of what happened before I came into this room. A few years back, it would have been me drunk with a girl next to me. But that all changed when Rose came into my life.

Rose.

I knew she was at the royal court. I wanted to reach out to her but I was scared she might reject me.

I started typing random shit on my laptop when my phone vibrated. Jade was calling. I hadn't heard from this girl in two weeks.

"Well, well, sister. What miracle has happened for you to finally remember my existence?"

"Rose crying . . . is that considered a miracle?" I heard her voice from the other side of the world say.

"Oh, God. What happened to her?"

"Well . . . if you want to ask her about it then you can. I am not going to be anyone's messenger."

"How is she?"

"Dream walk and you can see for yourself." Jade always the rude little bitchy sister.

"I might do just that." I sighed. "I heard the great news. My little sister get's married in less than three months. Why didn't you tell me? I had to force it out of my mother. I feel bad for Jonathon. He now has to deal with the mini devil."

"Surprised I matured a lot faster than you ever did?" She stopped the sarcasm as she said her next words. "I am not calling you to talk about me." She paused for a breath. "Rose is hurt and she needs you to heal her. _You _have to talk to her. None of us can make her better, except you. I know why she left you."

"Why?"

"Amber." I cursed under my breath. That bitch. "Adrian, I am not a baby anymore; you can cuss in front of me."

I chuckled softly.

"She loves you, you know? Deep down, there is a great love towards you. She loves you!"

I sighed. "I wish it were true."

"Just talk to her, okay? It will make everyone happier. Bye. Love you." She hung up as soon as I said _love you _back.

I thought about what had happened earlier today. Rose would be ecstatic if she knew what I knew. I had bumped into Dimitri today and he was no Strigoi. I had asked him "What the hell?" He pretty much understood what I meant. "Rose needed a taste of her own medicine." Well, that didn't matter. I had convinced Dimitri of going back for Rose. And I told him I would get out of the way of their happiness. Dimitri was leaving in a couple of days to go find Rose. I needed to see my little dhampir before she was not-mine officially.

I needed to see, Rose . . .

I needed to feel, Rose . . .

I needed to smell her sweet scent . . .

I needed to hear her beautiful voice say my name . . .

I was going to see Rose. Right now.

I stared at nothing, looking for her essence, and then I was in.

I made her dream, our dream, into the garden my grandmother had let me play in all the time when I visited her. I saw Rose looking around in wonder. When she sensed me, all we could do was stare at one another. I walked over to her, my eyes kept on her.

"Adrian!"

"Rose!"

We were both just as excited to see each other. I wanted to hug her, pull her close, bury my face in her neck, smell her sweet hair. But I couldn't do it; she wasn't mine.

"Adrian, I am so sorry—"

"Shhhh . . ." I put a finger to her lips.

She tried to smile.

"Don't worry. This will be short. I have a surprise for you."

"Yeah? What's the surprise?"

Dimitri coming to see you. "You'll see."

She gazed into my eyes and for a second I wanted to believe I saw love shine in them.

I leaned down and kissed her forehead, letting my lips rest there a little while longer. "I love you . . ." I whispered soundlessly. I exited out of the dream and that's when I made my decision. I was going to see Rose, in real life now . . .

**Well, tell me what you think! **


	28. Airport Drama

**Well, thanks for all those wonderful reviews! The next chapter is my favorite! I hope you enjoy this chapter as well, not a lot of action here in this chapter today. OMG! Did you see that Spain won the FIFA World Cup. I was so happy! I have always wanted to visit Spain. Anyways, hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**I don't own Vampire Academy because if I did, it wouldn't as good as it is. **

I slept crying and I woke up crying. Partly because the dream had ended and because Adrian was gone. Those few minutes of the dream had been the best of my life over the past two years. Seeing his beautiful face and smelling his delicious taste . . . well, I couldn't describe how I felt. It was such a wonderful feeling to know that he was still out there and well. Jade was asleep, thankfully. I didn't want her to hear me crying again. It was embarrassing. I never liked to show my emotions out in public.

I wasn't feeling the tiredness anymore. I pondered over what Adrian had said about him having a surprise for me. What could it be? Was he going to put himself in a box and ship himself so that he could arrive at my door? That would be awesome. And as soon as I had him in my arms, I would love him the way he was supposed to be loved. I sighed. Me and my weird fantasies.

"Rose. Come over here. I need to tell you something." I heard Jade say. Gahh. So she hadn't been asleep. Damn.

I climbed next to her in bed. "Yeah?"

"I think I am pregnant." She said it so seriously—I had no idea what to say. Seconds later, she was laughing. "Ha-ha. April Fool's."

I looked over to the nightstand where the digital clock was. It was exactly midnight. "Crap." I breathed. "Do not do that again. You had me a little freaked out for you."

She laughed a little. "Don't worry. I have no plans of getting pregnant right now. And I haven't had sex once, I don't know how you could get pregnant like that. Unless you found some way to reproduce asexually?"

"What the fuck does that even mean? Don't use these big words when are speaking to me." I sighed. "So when?"

"When what?"

"When are you going to have kids?"

"You asked me this earlier." She sighed, dramatically. "When the time is right. Or maybe sooner. That's all Anthon's been asking for. He says he wants a girl." I stayed silent. "That's all Anthon asks for as a wedding gift. A daughter or son." She smiled. "But I keep on telling him you and I are going to have kids at the same time. That's my crazy dream."

"About that . . . I need a good man in my life so that I could have his kid."

She smiled cheekily. "Don't worry, Adrian is coming back soon." Ah . . . those comments again.

"You seriously love my brother, don't you?"

"Do you love him?" I looked away from her.

"Hold that thought." She stood up. "This time seriously calls for some popcorn time." She sauntered to the kitchen. I heard her going through the cabinets and saying things like, "I seriously need to organize better" and "What am I going to do when I marry Jon if I don't know how to take care of my own house?" Then, I heard some popping which could only be assumed as popcorn popping in the microwave. A few minutes later, she came back with a huge bowl of buttery popcorn. I would to burn off the calories later, for now, I was happy as she made her way, popcorn bowl in her hands. She laid on the bed and shared with me.

"So, back to where I was?" She swallowed a handful of popcorn. Literally. "Do you love my brother? The honest truth."

"I do. I love him so much." It felt so good saying those words to her. I hadn't said _I love you _in quite a while.

"I can't really see your face right now because it's really dark and the moon isn't shinning as much, but I can feel that what you said is true. And I am happy." She sighed. "Adrian has always been a sufferer. You make think otherwise, but he always had this secret within him. He said he always saw thing . . . that he saw this girl. And that kind of ruined his childhood. But now I realize that those things he saw were the visions." She laughed. "Poor Adrian, everyone thought he was crazy." She laughed, harder this time.

"He told you about those visions? And the visions are pretty awesome."

"Wait . . . you see them too?" She was shocked and she turned her face towards me, but I couldn't see if she was looking at me.

"Yes. The best vision was of me lying on the sun, debating on whether Adrian loved me or not."

"It's not like that isn't obvious. Adrian loves you. Whatever made you think that he didn't?" I sensed her roll her eyes. "Oh, right. Amber. That damn slut. If I ever see her again, I will kill her. No joke. By the way, you have to meet my cousin Seth. He is awesome. He is married to a dhampir and he and her love each other to death. They have three kids. He'll tell you about the good times he's had with his wife. She's pretty awesome too, though she is a little intimidated by us royals. I don't know why she is though. She is married to Seth, not us."

"Where does Seth live?"

"Where Adrian is at the moment . . . Spain. Have you ever noticed? Spaniards are very sexy!"

"Jade, how can you think about other men when you are getting married to a sexy guy?"

"Hey, I'm his fiancé. Don't go out talking shit about my man." She sounded jealous. She probably thought I was going to steal her man. "Don't be jealous. You know I love your brother, very much, I might say."

She didn't say anything for a while. "I'm going to tell you my dream, so be all ears." She took in a breath and let it out. "I want to marry Jon, that's happening very soon and I am very happy. I want you to be my bridesmaid. That's also happening. I want Adrian and you to be together. I want, on the day of my wedding day, I want you and Adrian to tell the world the good news that you two are getting married. And I want you and I to get pregnant at the same time so our babies can grow up together."

She was quiet for a while. "Sorry. And yes I know I am weird. Heard it plenty of times from Adrian."

"That's exactly what I want. Well, the first three sentences no, but the rest of what you said, I want to happen. I want to marry Adrian and make him a proud daddy."

She sat up and looked down at me. "So do that, Rose. Don't waste anymore time. Tell him you love him. Tell him you need him. Tell him you want to spend the rest of your life with him!" I could hear her getting excited. "Do it! So I can plan _your _wedding! And I could finally see my brother happy once and for all. You know. He is the only single one from our family. He is getting old and needs to settle down soon."

"That's exactly what I plan to do. If he lets me, that is."

"Adrian loves you and would do anything to make you happy." And that was true. He always made me happy, no matter what it cost. I am pretty sure he would give his heart for me, even if it cost him his life.

"He'll let you, don't worry. I talked to him as you slept. It was me that convinced him to dream walk on you." She stood up. "Well, I'm going to let you sleep. We have a big day tomorrow, you'll see."

The next morning, I was pumped up for the day. It was probably due to the fact that I had slept like ten hours. Just then, Jade knocked on the door. "Hello! Finally you wake up! You overslept. Now we have only three hours to get ready!" She was in a white bathrobe and tossed one at me. "Take a shower quick and I want you downstairs in twenty minutes!"

"Ready for what?"

"Lissa's orders: Can't tell you, till we get there." With that, she left the room. I did as she ordered. I took a quick shower. Good thing I had shaved yesterday or that would have been a waste of time. I slipped on some underwear and a bra and the put on the robe and met her downstairs, not a second late.

There was a setup downstairs. Like ten people gathered in the living room, when they saw me, they moved into action. They had suitcases filled with makeup, jewelry, and a lot of other shit. There was a rack filled with pretty gowns. What was up with that?

I sat down where a blonde lady ordered me to sit. She went to work immediately, blow drying my hair first. Another lady came up to me and started doing my make-up. I felt like I was getting ready for my wedding or something like that. Did Jade decide to boost up the date of her wedding? Not likely. She wasn't freaking out or anything like that. No reason for me to freak out. I didn't get to see anything else because the lady told me to close my eyes as she was applying eye shadow. After a few minutes, she dabbed mascara and lip gloss.

"You have some beautiful highlights." The blonde lady commented. "Thank you. The future, annoying sister-in-law suggested me get them."

"I am not annoying." Jade said next to me. "You'll love me by the end of the day."

"Hopefully . . ."

The blonde lady said she was done with my hair and I needed to slip into my dress. As soon as I saw the dress, I loved it. Absolutely loved it. The color of the dress was a dark purple, that kind of looked blue in the darker parts of the house, I observed. It had a sweetheart neckline and the dress hugged me all the way to my upper thighs. A slit on all the way from my thigh all the way to my feet. And it had an awesome beaded waistline. I looked very awesome. My hair was left down, parted to the side with small waves.

"Damn, Rose. I am glad my brother isn't here because he wouldn't have liked all the men's' eyes on you."

"Thank you. You look quite gorgeous yourself."

She smiled. "I know." She was wearing a white dress, that was backless, curve fitting, and had a slit on the side like my dress had. Her dress was a sweetheart neckline, as well, but it had a one shoulder thing going on. She had this weird pattern going on the side that exposed her right side. She looked real pretty. "Good thing my fiancé isn't going because he wouldn't have liked men staring at me."

I chuckled. "Well, it's good that we are going to be guy-less tonight."

But I didn't want to be guy-less tonight when I looked so hot.

"Let's go meet, Lissa." Lissa was already waiting at the lobby of where Jade lived. Lissa was wearing a gray halter dress that went all the way down to her toes. Her hair was in a loose bun. "Wow, Rose. You look pretty sexy."

"Where are we going?" I was getting a little crazy because I didn't know where she was taking me.

She put her hand in mine. "We're going to the Royal Gala."

"The what?!" I struggled against her and Jade as they dragged me to where two men dressed in suits waited at a fancy door.

"The Gala." Lissa repeated. "Don't ask questions." She said when she saw that my mouth was open for a bombard of questions. I remained silent. Jade gave me an evil smile. I went with them, unwillingly. The Royal Gala was basically everyone dressed in real fancy clothes and the woman showed off dresses of the best designers. According to Jade, I was wearing a dress made by Dorothy Perkins or something like that. Jade and Lissa wandered off, probably greeting their relatives, while I wondered off. I ended up on a balcony that pretty much all you saw from the view was nothing. Perks of living in the middle of nowhere. To my surprise, there was a man there already. He looked really familiar. Well, his eyes and hair . . . they looked familiar. . . .

"Are you Rose Hathaway?" He asked, squinting his eyes a little to get a better view.

"Yes," I said, checking the older man out. "And you are?"

He smiled. "I am Abe Mazur." I nodded, but did not have one clue who this guy was.

"Can I help you with something?" I asked, wondering why he was staring at me.

"He wanted me to give you a message."

"Who?"

"Adrian Ivashkov, I presume you know him." He reached into his pocket and pulled out an awesome phone that only rich people could afford. He pressed something on his phone and a recorded message was all you heard. It was a message from Adrian. It was something about . . . surprise . . . tonight.

"Thank you," I said, getting nervous about what it could be.

"No problem," he walked up to me. "Nice to meet you, Rose Hathaway, you are as lovely as Adrian described you." He hugged me and then he said, "And you are as gorgeous as your mother Janine."

What was that all about? Just then, Lissa and Jade burst in through the doors. Jade seemed really excited and Lissa looked quite the same. "Ready to go?" She asked.

"Yeah. This party sucks anyway."

Lissa smiled. "Yes, it does."

"Let's go have a girls night out in town." Jade suggested.

"Agreed" both Lissa and I said.

"The airport?" I asked as soon as Jade parked the car on the curb.

Jade looked at me like I was stupid. "Yes, didn't I mention I had to pick up my sister?"

"Uh . . . no." Alright then, cool off. Before you know it, we'll be out of here. Jade, Lissa, and I decided to get off the car to enjoy the chilly night. I felt good on our skin. The passengers looked at us, well, they looked at me, the way I was dressed. Not perfect attire for a trip to the airport. It was as I waited with Lissa and Jade, that my phone rang. I couldn't say anything before he was speaking.

"Look behind you," someone said from the other side of the phone.

I did look behind me, but I wasn't interested in the person that was directly behind me. I looked farther behind the person in back of me and I wanted to die of happiness. I couldn't believe it. After two years, he was right here. I fell that much more in love with him. I dropped my phone and began to run, run towards the _him _that I loved.

**Aww…who do you think it is? Dimitri or Adrian? Muhaha . . . you'll see soon. **


	29. I Choose You

**A/N: People! If you want the next chapter, then you have to review TheOrginalPrincess's stories! Those stories are awesome! Make her and me happy and I'll promise I'll update like right now. Anyways, hope you like this chapter as always! If you have any comments or anything I am here to answer. Thanks for the awesome reviews! Love you all! BTW there is a new poll on my profile…go vote. It concerns my VA stories! Enjoy my lovelies . . . **

**Don't own vampire academy . . .**

**On the Plane with Dimitri- Adrian's POV**

I yawned as I looked down at the papers my father had made me review. Being the President/Owner of Microsoft was not easy. And I wanted to take over the company. Funny, Ivashkov. Nice one. How will you handle this one? _Not right now. Better things to worry about. _I put the files back in the manila folder that was labeled _Company Expenses. _I thought about Rose, my beautiful Rose. I was going to see her soon. At least one last time before she belonged the lying, scumbag bitch that was sitting quite uninterested on the other side of my private airplane.

"Journey?" I called out and she was right there in an instant.

"Yes, Mr. Ivashkov?" Journey asked, leaning down so she was level to my face. "Can I get you anything?" Journey was obsessed with me. Literally. I didn't pay one spec of attention to her because Rose was number one. Rose had my heart.

"Get me some whiskey, please." I looked at Dimitri. "And Dimitri, would you like anything?"

"Some vodka might be nice."

Journey and went to the mini bar in the back. She came back seconds later with our drinks. She handed me mine first as I did not pay any attention to her. She went to Dimitri and he showed her an appreciative look over. Ugh. Damn. Rose would not like that

I took a small sip of my drink and looked at Dimitri. He looked back at me. "You're a lucky man, you know, you're getting everything I wanted, you're getting Rose."

He shrugged in a gesture that was understood as _whatever. _"No. You're luckier. You got to do her first."

I was repulsed. How could this guy that Rose loved be this way? If Rose liked him like that, then there was nothing I could do, could there? I wanted to shove my fist up his face, but I needed to be calm. I didn't think my guardians, who were standing at the back of the plane, would want to pick another fight with yet another guardian. I decided to ask him about his time away. "Why did you really go away? Rose was devastated." No she wasn't.

He motioned for Journey to bring him another drink.

"Was she?" was all he said before replying to my other question. "Well, everyone needs some time off. I needed a time off and decided to leave. My life was at stake when I wagered with those Strigoi. They saved my ass, though."

I didn't say anything. I mean, there was nothing to say. The only thing clear here was that this man was a total scam . . . he wasn't good for Rose. I didn't care what I had to do, I was going to win my way back to Rose's life.

As if reading my thoughts, Dimitri raised his glass and said, "May the best man win."

I turned my head and looked at the window. "I think I already won. . ." Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him smile quite menacingly.

As the time went by, I thought about Rose again. I just couldn't get my mind off her. Oh, Rose, you're no good for me. You're a beautiful, poisonous wildflower that I just love to admire. And here I am . . . just letting you drive me crazy with all the pain you cause me. But I love this pain because I love you . . . .

I rested my head against the cushion of my seat. God, I hated time zones. The only thing that kept me living was that I was going to get a nice comfortable bed soon. I was about to doze off when my phone vibrated. Jade. "Sup, gangster?"

"How the fuck am I a gangster?" She shot at me.

I chuckled. "You know I love messing with you, baby sister. What's up, sweetheart?"

"Save those little juicy nicknames for Rose. You might run out of them before you see her." She sounded like she was whispering. "What time are you going to be here? I am practically running out of excuses to tell Rose as to why we are here at the airport. Your Rose is a little stubborn one."

That made me laugh. "I knew that . . ." I looked around looking for the time and came up empty. "Jade, we'll be there soon . . . that's all I can tell you."

"Ahh! Okay. Bye." I laughed. I loved my crazy sister.

It was a couple of hours later and we had arrived. I grabbed my small suitcase. I didn't really need anything because I could buy everything new. I just brought the essential stuff. Toothbrush, condoms, deodorant . . . that kind of crap. I was walking randomly around the airport with that gay bastard behind me when I saw her. I SAW HER! Oh God. She looked as beautiful as ever. She had her back turned towards me. Then, she turned around and her eyes looked straight at me. And I completely lost it . . .

**Rose's POV**

I ran to him. A huge smile glued on my face. I was so happy…I didn't know what to do. He was here! Staring at me in shock because I was going for him and not the other person. When I reached him, I jumped and threw both legs around him and started kissing him—his arms wrapped around my waist so I wouldn't fall on my ass. He kissed me back, hard and hungry.

"I missed you so much!" I gasped in between kisses.

"I love you, Rose!" He said in between kisses.

"And of course I missed you, too!"

"Adrian! I can't believe I let you go. It was so stupid of me. I love you, and only you! Why didn't I realize that?! You are my love!" I started crying and climbed off him. But, Rose, I thought you were going to choose Dimitri…don't you still love him?" Dimitri? He was here? Oh, shit. He was the person I had ignored earlier. I had been so caught up in going for Adrian that I had missed him. Towing Adrian with me, I walked up to him and gave Dimitri a friendly hug. I didn't love him; it was always Adrian. "Good to see you back, Dimitri."

He didn't say anything. He didn't even do anything. Well, whatever. I wouldn't let anything ruin my perfect moment with Adrian. He was here! I still couldn't believe it. It was the perfect day today. I jumped back on him and we started kissing quite explicitly. I didn't how I could open my legs and wrap my legs around him when I was wearing a tight dress. I hope I hadn't ripped it because it was just too cute.

I laughed and got off Adrian as some on looker said, "I didn't know it was bring-your-hot-girlfriend-to-airport day." I realized that someone was Christian. How the hell had he gotten here?

"What the fuck, flame boy? How did you get here?" I looked past him and saw Eddie and Mia. "Is this some sort of reunion?"

"We didn't want to miss the reunion of Adrian and you." Mia explained. "We wanted to see you happy after all this time."

Out the blue, Adrian and I looked at each other in the eyes and a vision started. We put our hands palm-to-palm so that we could both witness it at the same time. And I knew this was a vision of the future, not the past. . .

_I was just about to sit down on the too comfortable tan couch when my phone vibrated. It was either a call or a new txt message. Considering that after some vibration, the song Our Kind of Love sounded right after the vibration ended, I knew it was a call, indeed. I picked up my phone Sexy Green Eyes read across the caller ID. I rolled my eyes, thinking of what pathetic romantic nonsense he had to share now. I pressed the green button of my Droid INCREDIBLE and answered, hoping he had something interesting in his mind._

_I dropped my voice to a seductive tone. "Hello . . ." I said in a voice that was supposed to sound sexy. _

_He answered in the same tone I had answered with. Huskily, he said, "Two options . . . want to hear them?" _

"_Hmm." I didn't know whether to encourage him or not. _

"_Two options. One, we go to the annoying ball later on tonight. Or you come over to my place, rent some movies, have some fun in the shower, and have MAJOR fun under the sheets? You have five seconds to choose. One . . . two . . . three . . ." _

"_No need to question it. You know it's gonna be option number two." I said, jumping off the couch, throwing my plush blanket off me and running to the room. _

_He chuckled darkly. "I'll be waiting for you." _

_Suddenly turned on, I walked to my bedroom in a hurry. I took out my Juicy Couture bag and started stuffing it with things I could find. His and Her lubricant was the first thing that went into my bag. Most things in the bag were a reasonable outfit for tomorrow and some sexy underwear and sexy lingerie. After shoving things in my bag, I went inside my bathroom and straightened my hair some. It had been just an hour since I had taken a shower so my hair looked like it had just survived a hurricane. I changed into a sexy, black dress that I knew he was sure to love as he loved me in anything he saw me in, but most preferably, he liked to see me naked. I applied some lip-gloss and I was out the door, picking up my cell phone as I went. _

_My glossy, black Bentley was parked right on the driveway. The parked car was the best detail of my house, according to me. I was twenty-one years old. I could only think about Adrian and his fun parties, drinking, and . . . sex, something Adrian and I couldn't get enough of. I swear, we at least had sex four times each week. Was it normal? I had heard somewhere that a healthy sex life meant a healthy relationship. Was that why Adrian and I were so in love? And the days we couldn't have sex, we stayed in bed and just cuddled and enjoyed the now as opposed as the future that was as far away as the Ring Nebula. _

_The drive to Adrian's house was only twenty minutes. Usually, it was Adrian who ended up staying the night at my house. But I had kind of changed that way. I learnt that Adrian's house provided miracles for me. Or, well, Adrian was the one who made miracles come true for me. He sure knew how to hit my spot. And real good, I must say. So good, that in fact, I would just sleep right after he "hit the spot." _

_Music blasted from my radio but I was not interested; I was just eagerly waiting what Adrian had in mind for us tonight. I fantasized about him and me in bed, and my fantasies were some good fantasies about him and me. I just couldn't wait till I could make them real. I licked my lips in anticipation. _

_Time had passed, even if it seemed extremely slow—I found myself parking on the driveway of Adrian's half-mansion. We were both from money, money that we inherited from our fathers who were as filthy rich as the richest men in the world. To put it easy, they were some rich sons-of-fuckers. And since Adrian and I were the only-child in our families, we inherited all that money and more. _

_I parked my car and grabbed my bag and headed to the front door. The door opened before I got half way through his clean sidewalk that led to the front door of his house. His face showed nothing of what he was thinking as I made my way to him. I knew him too well, though; I had a feeling of what he was thinking. Judging by the lustful way his eyes scanned me, I knew he was thinking some very indecent thoughts that he was not afraid to express out loud. _

"_Sexy . . . as always." I mentioned as I leaned into his embrace. _

_He was not up for word exchange. He pulled me inside and closed the door. "And you look way over-the-top hot." He finally showed his emotions. In his eyes were many things. Lust. Desire. Want. Need. Longing. Hunger. "If it weren't for the fact that I promised you a cute movie, I would suggest we have sex now." _

_I laughed and looked at him for a while. "Hmm . . . that doesn't sound very fun." He loved it when I stroked my skin, soft and sensually. I flipped my hair back in a way that was supposed to be flirtatious. "Shower time?" _

"_Under the covers time?" He asked. _

_Which was better for sex? Shower or bed? In bed you could do a lot more without the fear of you slipping and breaking your bones. I winked at Adrian as I decided. "Lead the way to your bedroom." _

_He gave me a cheeky smile, all the while his eyes burning with lust. A lot of lust. His bedroom was just around the corner. As we made our way there, I noticed a pretty picture framed on the right side of the hallway. It was a picture of him and me on our prom night. He smiled when he noticed where I was looking. _

"_Remember that night?" _

"_Although it was five years ago, I still remember it with clarity." _

"_So do I . . . magic was created on that night." Adrian could act like a total sex addict at the times, but sometimes he was the perfect, most gentle man out there in this world. Him, what made up Adrian Ivashkov, all the small little details and all, was what I loved. I didn't love him because he was so damn gorgeous; I loved him because he was smart, funny, nice, and sexy all at once. I loved him because he was himself around me. _

_I semi-blushed at the thought of that night. That was the first night Adrian and I had ever been together physically. He had rented a cool, honeymoon hotel for us and we had made the best love on that night. We looked at picture and then back at each other, thoughts of that night burning in our minds. Adrian grabbed my hand. _

"_Let's relive that moment, Rose." Adrian said, opening the door to his room. _

"_You bet . . ." _

_Inside his bedroom, things started to get heated up. And I mean heated up. _

_I pushed Adrian against the wall. He liked it when I was in control, yet, later on, he was the one with the most control. He really knew how my buttons worked and what would happen if he pressed them. One time he had proclaimed that I was the woman he knew best inside and out. And of course I had replied with something sarcastic like, "Would it be due to the fact that we have lots of sex?" _

_Adrian's hands really explored me. His hand started pushing the strap of the dress I was wearing . . . . _

"Hello! OMG! I think we need to call an ambulance! I think they paralyzed at the spot." I heard Lissa's shouts but I wasn't interested. Adrian and I looked at each other and I knew both our eyes had lust. We knew what we had to do now. We had to tell each other how much we loved one another without using words, only the actions. We had to do it now. We had to love each other like we did some two years ago. . . .

**Anyways, pretty please . . . please go R&R TheOrginalPrincess's stories. She really is disappointed. Show her the love you show me. Haha! Omg? Tell me what you think. Did you like? Did you hate it? Did you think it was boring? Did you wish I would have done it differently? And don't worry . . . hopefully the next chapter will be better! REVIEW! **


	30. Romance Reunion

**Awww . . . I love this chapter. I think this is my new favorite! Hope you like! **

Adrian smiled, quite sexy, as he looked me over in the dress that showed off my curves. I reached over and somehow our fingers found each other and so did our gazes. He wrapped one of his arms around me and I could see Jade beaming with delight. Lissa started clapping soundlessly, just tapping her hands together in a show of excitement and amusement. Christian, Mia, Eddie, and Jon just smiled at us. Jade had probably filled Jon in about the relationship Adrian and I had.

Jade remembered that her fiancé was there and she went over there and put an arm around his waist. He leaned down and kissed her lightly on the lips. I wasn't jealous anymore because I had a man next to me that could do all that and _more!_

"How about we get out of this place and go have dinner or something?" Lissa suggested now going to stand next to her flame boy. The only people here who weren't hugging were Eddie and Mia. I didn't think their relationship went beyond guardian and charge.

I wanted to say yes to Lissa out of courtesy but I also wanted to go with Adrian somewhere else. As if reading my thoughts, Jade looked over at me and winked.

"Lissa, how about _we _go and let Adrian and Rose enjoy themselves somewhere else." She threw a double wink at me. Lissa was about to argue again. I could see she desperately wanted me to go. Jade stopped her again. "Adrian and Rose have been apart for a good time . . . let them make up for the lost time."

For once, Lissa agreed. "_Alright _. . . " she threw me a _look. _"But promise you'll call me in the morning?"

"Jeez, Liss, I don't know if Adrian would want to let me up by then"—there was a chuckle—"but, sure, I'll try."

Jade came up and hugged both Adrian and I. "It's good to see you guys together again." To Adrian, she said, "Take care of our girl. Don't let her leave again." She chuckled and started following the departing gang which consisted of Eddie, Mia, Christian and Lissa, and her fiancé.

Once they were out of sight, I turned to Adrian. "I love your sister to death."

"So do I. If it weren't for her, I would have never been here." He took hold of my hand and led me to an awesome car that I had only seen once in my lifetime. It was the Buggati Veyron Adrian had taken me to Sadies in. It was an awesome car.

"Wow . . . I could never get over the awesomeness of this car." He smiled as he opened the passenger door for me.

I could never get over the awesomeness of you."

I got comfy in the car as he got in and started it. Just when I was getting comfy, I got the scent of a perfume you just had to love. I turned to Adrian with glaring eyes. "How many other females did you have in this car that wasn't me?"

He shook his head. "My mother and my two sisters." He laughed. "Oh come on, Rose. Were actually starting to get jealous?"

"Humph."

As he drove one handed, he reached the other hand and squeezed my thigh. "Rose, ever since you and I departed, there has only been _one _woman in my life and that's you."

"Surreee . . ."

"Babe, I'm serious." His hand started to slide up my thigh where it was exposed and then soon it was near my inner thigh. I put my hand over his and entangled our fingers. I brought his hand to my lips and kissed. "Baby, behave. Save the naughtiness for later." That brought an evilly sexy laugh from him.

I smiled over at him. "Baby, I'm starving. I don't know why we didn't go with Lissa and Jade and all them."

"They wanted to eat fancy. Don't they know how to be cheap once in a while?" I hadn't realized we had stopped, shit, I hadn't realized time had passed until Adrian opened his door. I looked around feeling lost. I had never been to this part of town. "Where are we?" He came over and opened my door. I took his hand as I got out of the car.

"You'll love this place, babe. This is my favorite place to come eat." He led me to the entrance of the restaurant. A young girl with dark hair greeted us. "Welcome to Cracked Crab. I'm Johanna, your server for the night. Follow me and I'll show you to your seats." She probably understood that we wanted to be in the loneliest part of the restaurant because she led us to a private area. She handed us two menus and asked, "Can I get you started with some drinks?" We told her what we wanted and that left Adrian and me alone, which was awesome. Adrian waved at something behind me. Before I knew it, Jade and Jon were coming towards us. No Lissa or Christian behind them.

"I hope you don't mind, but I invited Jon and Jade along. I went to get to know this guy better, see if he really is good for my baby sister." He leaned down and whispered in my ear. "I promise I make up for the lost time later on." He nibbled on my ear and I got a little turned on. I didn't care if Jade was her or not. All I cared was that Adrian was here.

"Okay, ewww, so did not want to see the sexual scene between you and Adrian." Jade said as she and Jon sat down across from us. Jade smiled and snapped a picture of Adrian and me. "Aww . . . you two look so cute."

Adrian leaned down and gave me a quick kiss on the lips. "Oh, we knew that already."

Johanna came back and asked if we were ready to order. I didn't know what the hell to order and Adrian saved me and ordered for us. I trusted him; he was the expert here. As we waited for our food, Jon and Adrian kept chatting about their nonsense while Jade and I talked about our nonsense. It turned out that I loved Cracked Crab. Adrian had ordered us a bucket, which was a bucket filled Dungeness Crab, King Crab legs, humongous shrimp, corn on the cob, and potatoes. It was so delicious. They put these ridiculous bibs on you that had this ridiculous crab on them. It was hilarious. I had the fun of my life eating there. The fun part was that you could only use your hands to eat. I was so happy. Everyone was happy and the adoring looks Adrian gave me made me happier. Jon and Adrian loved each other. By the end of the day, Jon had chosen Adrian as his best man at his wedding. Too soon, we finished the food.

The night was getting quieter now. It was time to go our separate ways. "Let's go somewhere else, babe, say . . . to my house?" Adrian suggested in my ear, a winking tone in his voice. "Are you up for it?"

"I am up for anything with you," I said, giggling. He and I stood up. Jade looked at us and smiled. "You guys enjoy yourselves. But wear protection." I blushed while Adrian laughed. We said our goodbyes and Adrian and I were on our way to his house as he suggested.

"Damn, babe, awesome house." His apartment/penthouse wasn't at the Royal court like Jade's was. Adrian's house was inside a building that was surrounded by all the city lights.

"It gets even better. My apartment is on the highest floor. Wonderful view from up there." He handed his car keys to the valet man. The couples that lounged at the lobby of the building all stared at Adrian and me. The females stared at Adrian and the males all stared me. Ignoring everyone, Adrian tossed an arm around me and leaned down and kissed me a little to sexual for public eyes. It was in the elevator where we really made out. Good thing no one wanted to use the elevator at the time Adrian and I were using it. Finally, the elevator doors opened to reveal a house awesome than Jade's had been. I was momentarily distracted from Adrian's lip.

His apartment was made of all glass, which was kind of scary but it looked great! Wow . . . everywhere you looked, it screamed _LUXURY!_ And like Adrian had said, the view was amazing since all the walls were glass. Adrian pulled out a remote and black curtains that blocked all the light started unrolling, covering the glass. "Don't want anyone interrupting us tonight." He started pulling me alongside him. "Come on, babe, more time for sightseeing tomorrow. Let's enjoy ourselves right now."

That got my interest. "Lead the way . . ."

He led me to his bedroom but I wasn't really paying attention because his lips were on mine. He pulled away for a second. "Let me go retrieve some things from the restroom so they won't be a hassle later on."

I was about to follow him. He _was _going to a place where a shower was available and sometimes you could have more fun in a shower than a bed, but I caught sight of the full length mirror. I just had a thing for mirrors. I couldn't get enough of me. _Conceited, much? _Jade had once said to me.

A few minutes later, Adrian came back.

He wrapped his arms around me from behind and started kissing my bare shoulder. His lips moved from my shoulder to my neck and up to my ear. "Rose is in red . . . never in blue . . ." He started to unzip my dress which was part blue. "This needs to go . . ."

I chuckled and let him take the lead. He tossed my hair to the side as he unzipped and kissed my neck. I felt his hand slide down my bare back as he pushed the dress off my body. The dress landed on the ground in no time. I was wearing nothing but a pair of sexy underwear, which he got rid of in a nanosecond, and he appreciated the view he saw in the mirror. I turned in his arms and started undressing him, ripping off his shirt, and throwing off his pants and boxers.

"A little eager, babe?" Adrian chuckled as he took me to the bed. He laid me down and then he laid down on top of me. We started kissing. Hot and hungry, perspiration starting to heat our body because of all the body heat. Adrian breathless, pulled away.

I buried my hands in his hair and tried to pull him back. The making out started again but he gained control and pulled away again.

"Before we do this, I want to ask something."

He probably was asking how many had I slept with during our time gone said I said, "None."

He gave me a weird yet amused look.

I raised an eyebrow. Okay? If not that, then what?

Adrian said, "I really missed you a lot, Rose." He looked at me with all the love in the world.

My eyes reflected his love. "Oh, yeah?"

He nodded.

I snuggled closer to him. "Well...I'm here now. No more time to miss me."  
He smiled, getting closer and pulling me to him. He kissed me with all the passion _and_ love in the world.

He held on tight.

But, I held on tighter. . .

And that's when Adrian asked: "Rose, will you marry me?" pulling out a ring.

I did the same exact thing as Jade did when Jon asked her to marry him. I gaped at him as the tear ran down my cheeks. Then, my smile turned to one of happiness and joy and I whispered, "Yes."

He slipped a ring around my finger. He smiled. "Hey, babe. Take that ring off and you'll see the words that changed my life on there . . ."

I took the ring off and examined it. I loved the ring. It was at least a four carat, Emerald cut, on a platinum band that had round little diamonds all over it. Two carat, Emerald cut diamonds adorned either side of the largest diamond. It was the perfect ring. I turned the ring around and I saw the words _Hey, beautiful _engraved on the band. I couldn't help but laugh. Those were the words that he first spoke to me. "Now you'll remember me forever and ever."

I laughed. "And now I'll have you forever and ever!" I lay down on the bed and laid him on top of me so that we could enjoy our forever and ever . . . .

**The End **

**Muhaha! Got ya! Review for the next chapter . . . OMG. Went to eat there one day and it was soo delicious . . . Cracked Crab! If you ever come to Pismo Beach, CA, I recommend eating there. And who knows? Maybe you might see me there. Oh and Brad's is also good…OMG…All this food is making me hungry . . . **

**Anyways, just wanted to thank you all for the amazing reviews! And please don't forget to vote on the poll! I have to see which story I should finish next and I need your help as to which story! So please, please vote! And review for the next chapter. . . **


	31. Wonderfully Sweet Day

**Well, at my sister's house right now and internet reception is HORRIBLE. So I am sorry if I don't update as soon as I should. Thanks for the awesomeness. Keep it up. Thanks for the amazing reviews. :)**

**I don't own Vampire Academy . . . **

**Six months later **

I danced with the music that blasted all around the house as I cleaned Adrian's house. Adrian watched, smiling with amusement as he kicked back with an ice-cold drink in his hand. He had given up writing another college essay long ago. I was very happy today because tomorrow was our wedding day. My feelings were a mixture of nervousness, excitement, happiness . . . it was all in a jumble. I was spending as much time with Adrian as I possibly could because Jade, the sister-in-law that had recently wed, had promised to take me away from Adrian in exactly one hour. ( I know! Couldn't she give us more time?) "The groom can't see the bride till it is time to say 'I do.' She had said.

I smiled back at Adrian, with slight deviousness. Slowly, dancing with the tune, I danced my way over to him. I gave him a small lap dance, which I'm sure he appreciated. Sure enough, his hands cupped my booty. They started moving up under my silk blouse that I had matched with my skinny jeans. His hands slipped out of my shirt and went to the ribbon that held the shirt together. That ribbon untied and the shirt would fall. I was left with just a bra. He turned me around in his arms and laid me on the couch, him on top.

"Oh, Rose . . . you are such a tempting person." His hand reached around my back and unhooked my bra one-handed. How could he even do that? Even I couldn't do it. He started kissing me hard and hungry, pretty much the way he always kissed me before we had sex. It was pretty hot and indecent. But I loved the way his smooth lips felt on mine. His lips started to travel down, down to my throat, down to my chest, down to the V of my stomach, and down to the button of my jeans. Throwing me a wink, he took my jeans off.

Within minutes, we both were naked and so ready to give into each other's temptations. I pulled away a little. "Babe . . ." I was so breathless that I could barely form a sentence.

"Huh?" He was already spreading my legs and going in . . .

I reached into one of the cushions that he had thrown down off the couch. We always kept condoms in there for an emergency. I mean, babies were cute and sweet, but I wanted to wait until at least Adrian and I were a year or two into our marriage. I was too young to be a mommy and Adrian was too young to be a daddy.

Like a pro, Adrian was done in a minute and sometime later we were both climaxing, my orgasm leading him to his. He rested on top of me as I wrapped my legs around his waist and did some serious making out with him.

"Rose . . ." He sighed my name into my neck. He started caressing my neck with his lips. "I love you."

I giggled. "Are you sure I don't love you more? Seems like it."

Adrian pulled back and looked at me in the eyes. "Oh, no. I love you more and I can prove it."

"Oh, yeah?"

The phone rang before we could do anything. Crap. Adrian answered it. "This is Adrian, Rose Hathaway's, soon-to-be- Ivashkov's, secretary . . . how may I help you?" He beamed when he said Rose Ivashkov. "I don't know. Let me ask her." He looked at me. "The devil wants to speak with you, do you want to speak to her?"

I rolled my eyes. I could see why he had nicknamed Jade "The Devil." She had been interrupting our love scenes for that past week and it sucked. "Tell her I know where to meet. At the Spa in twenty minutes. Tell her to leave us alone . . . we're kind of busy right now."

Adrian passed along the message. "You heard her. We're really busy right now." He chuckled one last time and hung up the phone. We were still locked in the tangled position we had been in earlier, our limbs still combined as one. He finally pulled out and put me on top of his chest. I got the brown, soft blanket and covered my backside. I snuggled onto his neck and he tightened his arms around me I sighed in happiness. "I want to stay in your arms forever . . . I want you to whisper romantic things in my ear." He put his lips to my ear and whispered "I love you." That was about the most romantic thing he could say. It was a few seconds later when I was pulling away. He sat up and set me on his lap. "You have to go now?" I nodded. "Damn, Jade."

I totally agreed with him. I wasn't this psycho of not being with your man until the wedding when it was Jade getting married. I gave them the whole day before the wedding together. Hell, it was until morning that I didn't let them see each other. Why couldn't she leave us more time alone?

I stood up and grabbed his hand so that we could take a quick shower. Jade could wait for few minutes . . . or hours, couldn't she?

_The Next Day . . . Rose's and Adrian's wedding_

_**Adrian's POV**_

I wonder what my darling love is doing? I hoped she didn't get cold feet. I knew I wasn't going to get cold feet. We were talking about the love of my life here! I could I _not _want to marry her? I had waited over four years for this day. I couldn't wait till we were husband and wife and we could start making kids at the honeymoon I had thoroughly planned. It was a major surprise where I was taking her. It was my favorite place in the world (besides Las Vegas) and only Jade knew where I was taking her.

I glanced at my watch, which was gift from my father. Three hours left till I married my love. Rose and I had chosen to get married in the sunset because well, I couldn't—and this included all Moroi as well—be a long time in the sun without feeling like I was going to pass out. There were at least a million guardians in case Strigoi tried to interlude. Three hours . . . actually seemed like a long time away. I was actually glad that I was born male as opposed to female because Rose must have at least three people working on her. Males only had to take a quick shower and do a little hygiene and just slip on their suits. Females needed to be a whole work of art. Rose, beautified with cosmetics or not, looked beautiful no matter what. She was as beautiful as a red, red rose in the middle of nowhere.

My thoughts were interrupted when my brother, Damien, who was now the only Ivashkov bachelor, walked in the door. He sat next to the chair I lounged on. "Well, little brother, guess what just happened?"

"No idea. What happened?"

"Danika is now wearing a rock on her finger."

I stood up. I gave him a manly hug, the ones where the men pat the other guy hard on the back. I sat back down. "I'm surprised she said yes."

"Yeah, me too. I was kind of expecting a no because she always talks about marriage and kids being the last thing on her mind."

"What made her change her mind? You didn't bribe her to say yes, did you?" I chuckled.

"Of course. She finally fell for Damien Charms. And your Rose made her change her mind."

"Rose?!" I was a little surprised. Rose was not Danika's biggest fan. But she tried to get along with Danika all because of me. "To my knowledge, Rose and Danika strongly dislike each other."

He laughed a little darkly. "Actually, Danika is quite scared of Rose. She doesn't want to get her ass kicked."

That made me laugh. Sometimes, even I was scared of Rose. "I assure you. Rose will never hurt Danika now that she is going to be part of the family."

He nodded. "You nervous, bro?"

"Not exactly. Excited more than nervous." I looked over at him. "What made _you _change your mind of marriage?"

"All these married couples we have in the family. First Krestel, Ervin, Jade, and now you. It was about time for me to get married."

"Damn right you were."

"So when are you and Rose going to have kids?"

"She has the balls here." Damien laughed. "So she decides when." It made me smile, just thought of seeing Rose pregnant with our kids and then having them, made me smile quite hugely.

"Did you finally tell Rose about Abe Mazur being her father?"

"Crap . . . it totally passed my mind. I'll tell her after the wedding, though. I don't want Rose to leave me at the altar."

"You know he's here today, right?"

"Shit!"

"And you claim to be the perfect man." He shook his head. "It's all good. If you want, I'll tell her." He stood up. "Wish me luck."

"Good luck and God be with you. Try not to get killed." I chuckled. "Oh and give Rose a huge kiss for me. Tell her I love her."

"No thanks. I have my own women now. I'll save it so that you can do that later to her."

I went to lay on the bed as I waited for the next three hours to pass . . .

_**Rose's POV**_

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! I wanted to scream. But, I held it in, like a sane person would do. I was so nervous, but the kind of excited nervous, you know, the nerves that you experience when you are about to do something you really, really want? A cosmetician worked feverishly on my face while another worked quietly on my hair. These could seriously work miracles. I looked at myself in the mirror when the cosmetician finished applying foundation and all that crap on my face, I was relieved to find that the bags under my eyes were not visible as if they didn't exist at all. It was awesome because I had very baggy eyes.

The lady, Nancy, had also put this colored eye liner that made my brown eyes pop out. I would have never considered buying that color and wearing. But now, I looked pretty awesome on me. Nancy had colored my eye brows with my natural color. She colored my eyelids with dark eye shadow. She added some blush to my cheeks and then topped my lips off with some very light pink gloss. My face took an hour to be complete and my hair would probably take two hours.

Within the last thirty minutes, I heard Jade say, "This room is for woman only. And unless you are woman, which I am sure you aren't since you screwed at least half the Moroi woman, I suggest you get out."

"All I hear is barking. I came to talk to Rose, actually." Damien, the brother-in-law that I actually liked sat down next to me.

"Hey, Rose. Cold feet yet?"

"Uhh . . . you're making me nervous."

"Anyways, I wanted to ask. Do you remember the guy that was following you, that Abe Mazur?"

"Yeah . . . what about him?"

"Well, how do I say this?"

"Say what?"

"Well, his blood runs through your veins."

"Was he the one who donated blood to me when I crashed like six years ago?" I asked stupidly.

"Huh?" He blinked. "No. I'm trying to say that guy's your daddy."

I momentarily opened my eyes and stared at him. "What the fuck? How did you find out about this?"

"My father and him are good friends. And besides, Adrian did some investigating of his own."

I wasn't mad that Adrian hadn't told me. I didn't feel anything, but shock. I had had heard stories of Abe Mazur. He was supposedly very powerful and rich. Wow . . . I didn't know what to think. Should I be happy? Sad? Scared? Ashamed of having a dad so awful?

"Well, that's sure a surprise to get the day of your wedding."

"Well, life isn't always pretty." He patted my shoulder and stood up. "I'm out. By the way, Adrian sends his love."

That made me smile. "Give him a huge kiss for me."

He winked. "Sure. Can it be hotter than the ones you give him?" I chuckled. He gave me one last smile and left.

I didn't think about what he had said any longer. Just thought about what was going to happen in exactly thirty minutes. Adrian and I were going to get married! Finally, the hair stylist finished my hair. I had chosen something simple for my wedding. When she saw that I was finished getting ready, Jade came up to me with a huge smile. She reached out and hugged me. "Are you ready to get into your dress?"

I smiled. "This is all happening so fast. I can't believe it."

She hugged me again. "It's going to be fun, Rose. Don't think about it. This is your wedding day. Treasure these days because they don't come back as much as you want them too. The present is a gift, hence the reason they call it _present._"

I nodded. Please, don't start crying, Rose, not yet.

She went and retrieved my dress. She helped me into my garter and then she slipped on my dress. My dress was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. It was a fit and flare wedding dress. It was tight from my waist and it started to form into a mermaid above my knees. It was ivory colored and had these embroidered patterns on the waist, above my knees, and on the train.

Since my dress was an a pale ivory, Jade decided pearls best matched my dress. Adrian had wanted to buy me a 20 carat diamond necklace but I freaked out on him and said no. My earrings were pearls as well. I wore an elbow-length layered veil that was adorned by a tiara made out of pearls that matched my pearl necklace. I had ivory open toe, stiletto pumps. My hair was curled, half down, and with a bump on the back. I had a bouquet of roses that matched the color of my wedding.

All my bridesmaids, which was Jade, Lissa, Scarlet, and Johanna, and I all took professional pictures. The photographer took pictures of Adrian and I as we got ready for our wedding. He said he was going to make a video, or a slideshow, of us so that we would have it as a memory and as something we could show our kids.

Then, my time was up. I was going to get married. Adrian had taken me to visit his parents. I loved their back yard because it was all green, with gardens and whatnot, and I chose their backyard as where I wanted to get married. Adrian agree without hesitation. Adrian and I decided an outdoor wedding would be best.

We all agreed that I would walk alone down the aisle and that is why I found myself walking down the aisle as people stared at me. My eyes were only for Adrian, though. He looked very gorgeous in his cream colored suit that matched my dress. He smiled very proudly as he watched me go down the aisle. Everyone's eyes were on me, but my eyes were only for him. He had his hand stretched out and I put my hand in his. He brought it up to his lips and kissed it.

"You look beautiful." He whispered and winked.

"So do you."

The priest started the ceremony. I really didn't pay attention to that. I constantly looked at Adrian and wondered how lucky I had gotten to score myself this? Before I knew it, we were saying our vows.

"_My sexy Adrian Ivashkov, where do I began? Love was nothing before you came into my life. But you changed that. You made me realize life isn't always what you think it is. If you don't have love, then what do you have? A question I find easy to answer. With no love, life is boring. The love you give me makes my life so full of wonder and joy. I love the way you smile. Love the way you come up with these witty lines . . . believe it or not, those lines make up my day. I love the way you love me. I love everything that makes up you, you Adrian Ivashkov. Adrian, you have this way of loving that puts real romantics to shame. Your love is _real_. I don't need flowers, diamonds, chocolates, cuddly bears from you as long as I have your love and of course, as long as I have you. So today, I give you my word that I will you be with you as long as you live, even if you don't want me there. I wanted to be the one that makes you smile every morning. I wanted to be the one that knows you like the palm of my hand. I wanted to be the one that bless you with beautiful kids.. I wanted to be the one you seek out for when you are in trouble. I wanted to be the one that is there for you no matter what. I wanted to be the one who loved you forever. I wanted to be the one that spent the rest of your life with. And now, my Adrian, I realize that I am the ONE you allowed to be all those things. I am thankful and wouldn't want it any other way. I love you for allowing me to be part of your life. And I love you, love you with all my heart_." 

I spoke my heart and he knew it. It was his turn.

"_My lovely Rose Hathaway, how can I start with expressing my feelings and love towards you? I cannot find the right words to describe what I feel for you. I do not think that they are plenty of words to actually _try _and describe what I feel. But, I guess I _can_ give it a try. I always laughed when they said that "everyone has a special someone out there, somewhere." I do remember when my mother first said that, I laughed. Turned out I was wrong, Daniella Ivashkov; mommy, you were so right! Rose, you are the simple fact of what my mother said. I love you and I know you are my special someone. There was no such thing as love at first sight before you appeared into my life. Hell, there was no such thing as love before you in my life and just like that, I was proved wrong. Again. There is a place here in this world where you just feel comfortable, right, like you belong. That place where I feel like I belong, like I was actually meant for this world, is with you. You make everything great. It took me some time to figure out where that place was. I walked through rain storms, fire, and hell to be here today and I am glad I did it because it sure paid off as I am standing next to the most beautiful woman in the world that loves me who is going to marry me and give beautiful children someday. It's amazing what I let my heart go through to get me where it got me in this moment here with you. I stand here and I am thankful for all the time it took to get me here today. I hope you stand my side forever. I'll follow you anywhere, woman! I'll be there when you need me and in tough situations. I am going to be there to hold your hand while you have our kids, even if you are scream death threats at me. I'll smile and laugh, even if you do something wrong. I'll cry with you. I'll laugh with you. I'll love with you. I'll be your everything. You name it, and I'll be that. I'll be your anchor, the person you can hold on, when you feel like you are falling off the edge. I went to spend the rest of my days in your arms, by your side forever. I'll be the husband and the father that other woman will crave. I'll love you till the end of my days. I love with a love that is never to fade, my Rose Hathaway, I love you!_"

"Well, now, Mr. Ivashkov, you may now kiss your Mrs. Rose Ivashkov."

Adrian looked down at me and I looked up at him. "I love you," I said as the tears fell from my eyes. He wiped the tears off my check with his thumbs. He didn't need to speak. His eyes were expressing all the love he had for me.

He pressed his lips to mine, sealing our love with a kiss, making us husband and wife officially.

**I posted pictures of earlier chapters on my profile. Check them out if you want. I probably put the pictures of this chapter later on tonight. So tell me, who's vows were cuter? Adrian's or Rose's? Tell me what you think…**


	32. The Honeymooners

**I am sorry it took so long to update but I have been busy as a baby sitter. I'm back at my parent's house now and the internet reception is A LOT better. Anyways, here is the honeymoon part 1. I'm still debating whether to write a part 2 of the honeymoon. Hmm…still need to think about that. As always, thanks for the wonderful reviews and I hope the reviews keep coming. **

**I don't own Vampire Academy, though I would love to! **

"Smile nice and big. Adrian, bring your face closer to Rose's. There we go. Perfect." The professional photographer barked out orders as Adrian and I took our last picture for right now. When the picture was taken, he winked at us and then said, "Okay. Now you are free to go."

Adrian grabbed my hand and we started walking to where the reception was taking place. I saw Adrian smile at me from the corner of my eye. "Why are you so smiley? Did you take your blue pill?" I joked.

He chuckled. "Rose, I don't need Viagra to get me excited. Just looking at you gets me going." He leaned down to kiss me. I wrapped my arms around him and brought his face down lower. He pulled his lips away and whispered, "I am so happy right now."

"You speak for both of us." We started walking again. I put my arm in his. "I was—still am—a little surprised that your family loved me so fast. Your dad is the hardest nut to crack."

He chuckled. "You have a _thing _about you that is so easy to love." He gazed down at me as the sun settled. There was a pathway in the trees, lighted by the candles, that lead to the reception. I could see lights ahead so we were close, which was good because I was starving and needed some food in my mouth quickly. "Don't worry about my dad . . . he'll come around. And, besides, my mother loves you. She can convince my dad you're not with me because of my money. I mean, Ivashkov money is nothing compared to Mazur money. See, being the daughter of Abe Mazur is a pretty good thing."

I groaned. "Please don't remind me of that . . . it's my wedding day; I plan to enjoy it."

He stopped right before the entrance of the reception party. "And I plan to enjoy you later on tonight." He said a little mischievously and quite seriously.

I chuckled.

"Sorry to interrupt, but are you ready to go in?" My wedding planner, David, asked as he waited for us.

"Ready?" Adrian asked and I nodded my head.

"Okay, I'll go in first and tell them to announce the married couple."

Before we knew it, the doors were opening and a the DJ announced us. "Give it up for Mr. and Mrs. Adrian Ivashkov!" Everyone clapped for us and all I could do was smile. I was very happy. We walked to the main table that was set up for us, the husband and wife. It was the cocktail hour, still an hour before dinner was served. During the hour, Adrian and I decided to go around, table by table, thanking people for coming.

As we walked to tables, I admired my reception. The wedding planned had suggested the wedding reception be inside a huge tent that was designed for three hundred guests. The tent was covered with curtains of veil-like material. You could be inside and enjoy the wonderful outdoors. The decorations on the tables, I loved. It was a really long transparent vase filled with water and a flower arrangement that looked like an exploded firework. The decorations changed from table to table. If the table was round, it had a the firework-like flower arrangement and if the table was square, it had a round vase with different types of flowers of the same color. It was really beautiful.

Finally the hour for dinner came and I was very happy. Adrian and I were not big fans of small portions of food so we had specifically ordered there be lots of food. There were many stations of food that consisted of all types of food from Italian cuisine to Chinese cuisine. After that, there was a huge chocolate fountain running while we cut our cake. So the guests had an option of choosing a slice of cake or chocolate-dipped strawberries or some of both. The cake was real pretty. The cake was five tiers, cream colored, which was the color of my wedding, had some weird yet awesome designs all over the fondant, and this arrangement of edible, sugar flowers, running from the top corner to the bottom corner. I shoved a piece of cake into Adrian's mouth and leaned down and kissed me. The photographer snapped pictures, while we kissed quite adoringly.

Adrian and I chose our first and last dance songs from the same artist and we had decided to pay them so that they could sing the sing the live version of the songs. The trio that sang the songs were _Lady Antebellum. _Adrian and I had also decided that we wanted our First Dance song to be lively and wait till the Last Dance for the slow song.

The song we danced to first was _Something 'Bout A Woman _by _Lady A. _Before we started dancing, the wedding planner said it was time to move the curtains. We danced in the nigh where only the moon and stars shined and dim lights lightened the darkened night.

_Well there's something 'bout a woman with my t-shirt on  
Hair in her eyes and no makeup on  
Standing there smiling with my coffee cup  
Yeah there's something 'bout a woman that's easy to love  
Yeah there's something 'bout a woman that's a clear blue sky  
Ain't found nothing better that'll get you high  
All the colors of the sun at the end of the day  
Yeah there's something 'bout a woman makes you feel that way_

_She's like fire on the mountain  
Like some kind of Heaven that's pourin' down on me  
She's a child, she's a lady  
She's got everything that I could ever need  
Yeah there's something 'bout a woman indeed_

_Yeah there's something 'bout a woman when she gets fixed up  
Slips a red dress on and her eyes light up  
I love to watch her walking from across the room  
Yeah there's something 'bout a woman and the way she moves me  
She moves me, she moves me_

_She's like fire on the mountain  
Like some kind of Heaven that's pourin' down on me  
She's a child, she's a lady  
She's got everything that I could ever need  
Yeah there's something 'bout a woman indeed _

_She moves me, she moves me  
Oh she moves me_

_She's like fire on the mountain  
Like some kind of Heaven that's pourin' down on me  
She's a child, she's a lady  
She's got everything that I could ever need  
Yeah there's something 'bout a woman indeed _

_Yeah there's something 'bout a woman that makes me still  
There's something 'bout a woman that always will_

Adrian sure had some moves. _That _was obvious since the beginning of the song. He had paid attention in dance class. When we were done dancing, and people were clapping, I was breathless. We enjoyed the rest of the evening dancing and laughing with the guests. It was pretty obvious they were having fun. I went with Jade so that I could change from my wedding dress to another wedding dress. This dress was a lot more revealing. We enjoyed ourselves at the party for only three hours, though, before we had to dance our Last Dance and go to our honeymoon, which was still a surprise. I trusted Adrian, though; he was good at surprises.

I put my arms around Adrian's shoulders and he tightened his arms on my waist so that we could start dancing. The song was _When You Got A Good Thing _by _Lady Antebellum. _It was the cutest song and it fit us perfectly.

_Everybody keeps telling me I'm such a lucky man  
Looking at you standing there I know I am  
Barefoot beauty with eyes that blue  
Sunshine sure looks good on you, I swear  
Oh, I can't believe I finally found you baby  
Happy ever after, after all this time  
Oh there's gonna be some ups and downs  
But with you to wrap my arms around I'm fine_

_So baby, hold on tight  
And don't let go  
Hold on to the love we're making  
'Cause baby when the ground starts shaking  
You gotta know  
When you got a good thing_

_You know you keep on bringing out the best in me  
And I need you now even more than the air I breathe  
You can make me laugh when I want to cry  
This will last forever, I just know  
I know_

_So baby, hold on tight  
And don't let go  
Hold on to the love we're making  
'Cause baby when the ground starts shaking  
You gotta know  
When you got a good thing _

_We got a good thing, baby  
So hold on tight baby  
And don't let go  
Hold on to the love we're making  
'Cause baby when the ground starts shaking  
You gotta know  
Oh, you gotta know  
Oh, you gotta know  
You gotta know  
When you got a good thing_

"We do have a good thing, babe. I knew it from the very beginning." Adrian whispered before he kissed me. We went to the front of the room and told everyone we were on heading towards our honeymoon. Adrian announced it was "baby-making time." Everyone present at the wedding chuckled at that. After we thanked everyone for coming and said goodbye, Adrian and I wandered off, hand in hand. I slipped off my shoes because they were starting to bug my feet _and _it was hard to walk in them while walking through grass. Every time I took a step, I sunk in with the heel. Adrian had to pull me out a couple times, laughing all the while. We stayed quiet as we walked through the night. I gazed up at Adrian's eyes once in a while and they shined as much as the stars in the darkened sky.

"You're so beautiful, Rose." He turned towards me and held both of my hands in his. "Before you, love was gazing at something and not actually _seeing _it. I went through these emotions, not knowing what they meant. It scared me. But you saved me, Rose. The warm touch of your hands saved me from falling into the hole." Adrian pressed his face close to mine. "Your love just fills my world with hope and desire . . . and love. You gave me a courage I hadn't know I had. You're a fearless beauty that isn't scared to show her emotions and share them. You make everything light, even the darkest of things. I can't describe what I feel. And it frustrates me that I can't tell you how much I love you."

I put my finger to his lips. He reached over and grabbed my hand with his and pressed it to his lips. "I understand. I feel the same way . . . I can't describe what I feel. All I know is that I love you."

"You say it so simple, yet is sounds so right."

"Well, a thousand words can speak, but three words can speak louder. And three words are . . . I love you."

He kissed me, a kiss so deep with passion and love. "Actions speak even more louder than words." He kissed me one last time and then let go. "We better get going. We have some driving to do."

"Where are we going?" I asked randomly.

I put hand in his as he answered. "Vegas" he said simply. That was the surprise? He noticed my expression and began explaining. "We are just going to chill in Vegas for a night so that the trip tomorrow won't be as tiring as it would be if we left right now." Adrian continued walking and we soon saw his parent's house. Adrian opened the door of his two million dollar car. I got in and threw my heels inside as well because I was going to need them later on. Adrian leaned down to kiss me once before driving away.

Las Vegas was only thirty minutes away from Adrian's parents were. The traffic was the hold up, though. As soon as you saw the lights, your hear just lightened. The energy . . . the lights . . . Las Vegas was a fantasy place. Adrian drove into the VIP lane for the Caesar's Palace Hotel. I loved the structure of the outside of this hotel. It had marble fountains and it was just awesome.

Adrian and I checked in and we decided to have some fun at the casino before hitting the bed.

I followed Adrian to a poker table, where his element of Spirit made him a little more "insightful." He won a million dollars. I tried my hand at it and I ended up winning twice the amount that Adrian had won. There were ladies going around with free drinks and each time she came by, Adrian and I drank whatever cocktail she was offering.

A couple of hours into our having fun, Adrian and I decided to finally share our first night as husband and wife.

In the room, I didn't waste time looking around as I usually would. Adrian started kissing me and then turned me around in his arms. He started kissing down my exposed neck, his fangs lightly brushing. He kissed every part of my body as his hands explored me. I felt his hands undoing the pin that held the whole dress together. Before I knew it, the dress was slipping off me.

I turned around and stared into his eyes. I began undressing him and he let me take over as he stared at my nakedness. In a matter of minutes, he and I were both naked. He held out a hand for me and I took it.

"Share a dance with me?"

I nodded, staring into his eyes. He fumbled with a small remote until the most beautiful song came on. It was the song _Like Red On A Rose _by _Alan Jackson. _

_Like red on a rose  
When your lips first smiled at me  
I was captured instantly  
To each his own_

_Like blue in the sky  
The gaze of your willing eyes  
Touched something deep inside  
The truth be known_

_That I love you like all little children love pennies  
And I love you 'cause I know that I can't do anything wrong  
You're where I belong  
Like red on a rose_

_And I love you like all little children love pennies  
And I love you like good times of which I've known many  
And I love you 'cause I know you give me a heart of my own  
You make my blood flow  
Like red on a rose _

When the song was over, Adrian took me to the bed and we passionately made love as we celebrated our wedding night.

**So, how was this chapter? Tell me if I could have done it better or if it was too cheesy or anything. Your opinion matters. Did you like the songs I chose for them? My favorite song is When You Got A Good Thing. I love it. The songs are on my profile page, if you want to check 'em out. Some pictures are on there as well. Thanks for all the love you show me. Please review! **


	33. Happy Years Passing

**The Honeymooners Part 2 . . .**

"Dude, you can take your hand off my face. I know enough not to peak."

"Rose, baby, I love you. But I don't trust you right now. You open your eyes when I say."

"See if you're getting any tonight . . ."

That made him laugh. His laugh just warmed my insides. "I will, babe, I will It's very hard to resist me."

It was hard to walk and talk when he was holding his hand to my eyes so I didn't make another sarcastic comment like I would have if I my eyes had been uncovered. Adrian and I had had an awesome night in Vegas, which was not surprising because Las Vegas was about the most fun place in the whole world. Adrian had suggested we stay another night in Vegas and I had agreed. The bright lights and the awesome fun you had in Las Vegas was enough to make anyone, _anyone,_ relax. God, I wouldn't mind living near Vegas. Or better yet—I wouldn't mind living _in _Las Vegas.

"Sure . . ." was all I said, was all I _could _say.

"Hmm . . . just a couple more steps."

"I better not fall because if I do, I will smash—"

"If you fall, I fall." He assured me, interrupting my sentence.

"Aww, babe, there is a reason I love you."

"I love you, too." He kissed just below my neck tenderly. "We had quite some time in Vegas, didn't we? I do honestly hope that our extreme partying made us a baby because I can't wait till I see him/her crawling around our house with you behind him/her, chasing him/her because they have something in their mouth."

I chuckled. "Like we agreed . . . baby-making time is till next year."

"Oh, crap. I do remember agreeing to that." We stopped. "There is nothing in the world that can beat this place." Adrian whispered to me. "Ready for the reveal, babe? Ready to see where I've brought you for a real honeymoon?"

"Yes!"

He slowly took his hand off my eyes and I opened my eyes slowly and looked around and was amazed at what I saw. A house that looked like those fancy hotels you passed when passing through a place where grapes were grown. There was green everywhere. Green trees. Green plants. Green grass. Green vines covered some of the exterior of the house. I looked as if Adrian and I were stuck in the middle of a fairytale. And there was color as well. Beautiful flowers of all kinds and colors. It lit up the whole place. The sun was just about to set so it made everything that much more beautiful. I was completely taken aback. I couldn't think of anything to do or say. I just looked around like a dumbfounded idiot.

"You like?" Adrian asked, his tone suggesting amusement.

"Dude . . ."

"I'm guessing that's a yes?"

"I love it! Wow. What inspired you to bring me here?"

"I loved this place . . . so I assumed you would love it to."

"Where are we?"

"Romania . . . the country side. This was my grandmother's house, you know. It's very special to me. Do you remember the first time I dream-walked on you? And you said you loved the garden?"

How could I not remember a night with Adrian? All the time we spent together was in my head all the time. "Yeah, I remember."

"Well, that garden is in the back. We can go check it out, if you'd like. But how about we go have dinner first and then we take a tour of the house?"

"I would love that. How did you convince your grandmother to let you borrow this place?"

"When my grandmother died, she declared me as the inheritor of all her belongings. This house is mine."

"I love it."

"I wish you would have met her; she was an awesome lady. She gave me anything I wanted." He pulled out a set of keys from his pocket and unlocked the door. He motioned me forward when the door was open. "My lady first." I stepped in. "I must warn you . . . this place is a little outdated. I wanted to renovate it, but my mother said it was more special the way it was. To be honest, I like the house the way it is."

I smiled. "I do, too."

"There is still some staff working so we have to behave." He said, a little sad. "And you know how much I hate behaving."

"Yes, I know." I laughed, recalling so many memories of him and me.

He led me to the dining room. I liked how it was set up. It was corner booth kind of table with gray cushions that looked comfortable to sit on. There were to candles lit, a bottle of wine, two wine glasses, and two plates set up. Adrian slid into the booth and I followed and sat next to him.

"What's the menu?"

"Well, you can devour a sexy guy tonight. He's all yours."

I rolled my eyes. "I can devour you anytime I want."

"That's true, my loaf of bread."

"Loaf of bread?"

"Another version of 'my love.'"

"So I guess what we have is just another romance from the millions out there."

He cupped my chin in his hand. "What you and I have . . . it can't be compared to the other romances out there. You and I have something real, something good. We got a good thing. And it's going to last forever. I just feel it."

"Yes, forever _is _written in both of our futures."

He kissed my lips softly a couple of times.

"Sorry to interrupt, but dinner is ready to be served." Adrian and I broke apart and they put down a platter of crab in front of us. I want to eat it as soon as they set it down. But I had good etiquette. I waited till they left and then I ate like crazy. Adrian seriously had made me addicted to seafood. Many people didn't like it and sometimes I wanted to bonk them in the head with a frying pan.

"This is seriously delicious." I popped a shrimp in my mouth that had this lemony, buttery sauce. "Orgasm in my mouth."

"God, Rose . . . I thought I was the only one who could make you orgasm. I was proved wrong." Adrian laughed.

"How about this? You make have the BEST orgasms."

"I like that better . . ."

"You know what?"

"Huh?"

"Suddenly I'm not so hungry anymore. I am a little tired. Can you take me to a bed?"

Adrian smiled, and I was turned on. "Sure."

I followed Adrian to the bed, the Master Bedroom, I supposed, since it was the biggest in the house.

Immediately in the room, I put my arms around him and started pulling up his shirt. I threw it on the ground when it was off and I threw Adrian on the bed. I slowly slipped off the dress I was wearing only to reveal a sexy lingerie outfit under. Adrian slowly took me in, his eyes devouring every inch of my body.

"You sure look sexy with it on . . . but better with it off."

I joined him on the bed.

"Will you do me a favor, my lovely Rose?"

"Anything . . ." I whispered around his lips, while his hands were in my hair and all over my body.

"Will you be my inspiration for the night? I want to paint you in the dark."

"I will be anything for you tonight."

Adrian carried me outside and opened glass doors to reveal the most perfect setting. There was a blank canvas to paint on waiting for us. Adrian made me lay down on a settee that was set outside. The painting was similar to the one in Titanic. I got completely naked for him and he appreciated the view. He finished in a half an hour. I stood up and admired the painting. It was beautiful.

He stood up and kissed my hand. "Beautiful lady, you have serviced me, now it's time for me to service you . . ." He gathered me in his arms and took me to the bed.

His hands roamed my body as the flames of passion and desire overtook me. . .

His lips devoted all the love he was feeling. . .

His eyes showed the lust he was experiencing in that moment. . .

He kissed every inch of my body, slowly as if it were something precious valued at such a high price. . .

And best thing of all, he loved me, every part of me . . . and I loved him back . . .

**A year later . . . **

"This better be good."

"Rose, it will be worth the wait. Trust me."

Adrian had his hand over my eyes again and I remembered when we went to our honeymoon, he did the same thing. I smiled thinking of the honeymoon. Best time ever.

He uncovered my eyes and I loved what I saw in front of me. The house was beautiful. It was sort of on a mountain and the back was facing the view of Las Vegas which was awesome. The exterior of the house was a cream-colored stucco. It a huge palm tree near the door. It had two door garages on either side of the house. A lit pathway lead up the front door. I looked so perfect. It was perfect. The kind of house that I had in mind for us to live in. I loved it.

"Oh, my God. This is perfect. Soo what I had in mind."

"You really like it?"

"Yes! And oh God, the view is perfect! Look it all those lights . . ." I jumped up and Adrian caught me. He kissed me a few good times.

"I thought you would like the fact that Las Vegas is only fifteen minutes away."

"The best thing of the house!"

He chuckled. "I knew you would love that."

"We can party in Vegas every weekend."

"We sure can . . ." he said, towing me to the door and opening it. "You're the lady of the house, so you can order the staff of the house. Anything you want, you have it. Anything you need, babe, I'll give to you."

"I need a back rub, foot massage, and a good soak in a hot bath."

"I'll give you all those things only if you let me join you in the bath . . ."

"Of course, you're invited."

"Let's go inside. And you have to tell me what you thought of this house. I designed it on my own."

"I am loving it already." I leaned over to kiss him.

We stopped walking. "Hmm . . . how about we save the tour for later and instead we go make use of the king-sized bed?"

"Agreed . . . we'll have plenty of time for touring later on. After all, we are going to live here."

He and I both rushed on the flight of stairs. I got a view of everything as we climbed the stairs. The kitchen. The dining room. The living room. But all the faded away as soon as I saw the bedroom. Wow. It was gorgeous. I ignored that because my attention was on my husband.

"We have a house now. We're married. . ." He paused for a breath. "Don't you think it's time to start a family?"

"Yes, I do." I started undressing him and so he did the same to me. "Let's not worry about that right now. Let's worry about you and me."

He took me to the bed and we had a nice night.

**Two Years Later . . . **

"Wow . . ."

"Hmm . . ."

"Amazing . . ."

"Yeah . . ."

"Wonderful . . ."

"I know . . ."

"Beautiful . . ."

"Definitely . . ."

"Going to be a feisty one like you . . ."

"This isn't anything compared to the kicking I get when the hunger kicks in . . ."

Adrian smiled. "Funny how it's the smallest things in life that mean the most." He put his hand on my belly where a kicking baby was, in the safety of my womb. "These are the moments that I am thankful I'm here." He looked into my eyes and he conveyed everything he was feeling . . . love, amazement, wonder. "These are the moments I thank God you're here with me."

"That's right." He continued to rub my belly. And I thought back to the last nine months of our life. This baby was a surprise baby. I hadn't known I was pregnant until one day I went to the doctor's for a checkup and he gave me the surprise of my life. "You're pregnant." I ran home to Adrian and told him the good news. Of course, he was excited. We had decided to keep the baby's gender until he/she was born. We wanted to be surprised.

"What did your dad say?"

"Exactly what I thought he would say."

"And . . . what is that?"

"He said he didn't care about anything. That he wanted the company to be in Damien's arms."

He positioned himself so his ear was to my belly. "I'm sorry . . . for causing a bad relationship between your father and yourself."

"Naww, babe, it's cool. And my father actually likes you. It's just that he doesn't like that you're the daughter of the man that manipulates him." Adrian chuckled. "I spoke to Abe Mazur myself . . . and he sure knows how to keep a person intimidated."

"He does? The few times I have spoken to him, he has been gentle with me."

"Maybe because you're his daughter. He didn't know he had a daughter until a couple years ago. He did some investigation and he found out about you."

I gasped out a little when I felt pain in my abdomen. "Ahh . . . contraction." I was nine months pregnant and would be popping out a baby anytime soon. I had been put on bed rest, well not exactly bed rest, but I had been told to stay off my feet as much as possible.

"Babe, are you alright?"

"Yup . . . they have been so frequent lately. I think I might go into labor tonight." Adrian paled a little. "Now, baby, are you okay?" I asked him with a hint of amusement. The amusement faded when another contraction hit. Fuck. I was screwed now. What I had been fearing most was now happening. Child labor.

_Good God, Rose. You're making such a big deal. _my inner mind said to me.

_You're not the one who's gonna pop the baby, so shut up. _I said back to it.

Fuck. I'm going crazy.

"Uh . . . Adrian, babe, I think it's time."

"Are you sure?"

"Let's wait a couple of minutes and time the contractions. If they are less than three minutes apart, then yes, we need to go."

It turned out, we needed to go the hospital. Adrian sped. And I screamed out insults to him because the pain was horrible. I opted for a natural birth because I wanted to feel the pain like our mothers before us. Jadie had had her baby just two weeks ago and she had recommended I do pre-register because she had to fill out annoying papers so that she could admitted into the hospital. I told the lady at the desk my name and soon I was wheeled to the maternity floor. Adrian was by my side and I was glad. I took off all my clothes and the nurse checked how far along I was. Three centimeters dilated. I still had a long time to endure pain.

It took six hours of pain endurance for my cervix to fully dilate. It was horrible. There was no fucking way I was having another kid without getting a freaking epidural. The nurse told me how to breathe through it. She made me get into this weird position on the bed and that helped the pain a little. Adrian rubbed my back throughout it all. The doctor finally arrived when it was time to push. Before the doctor came, the nurse had showed me how to push. She made Adrian hold one of my legs while she held the other. Hold onto your legs. Use them as leverage. Tuck your chin in. Hold your breath while you push.

"Here so soon, you were just fine the other day."

I'm having a fucking baby! Are you fucking blind or something? I didn't have the strength to say those things out loud. I felt lots of pressure on my lower abdomen and just had this desire to push. The doctor made me wait, though. I wanted to pull his lower lip over his head and ask him how that felt.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm in pain . . ."

He started putting his delivering gear on as soon as he checked my dilated cervix. "Hold her legs." Adrian held one of my legs and a nurse held the other. "Push . . ." He counted. "One Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eight Nine Ten."

It felt like my vagina was seriously ripping apart. I held in a few good screams. I didn't want to waste my energy. I was so tired. Hadn't slept at all.

"Again . . ."

Push.

"Don't stop . . . keep pushing. The baby's crowning. This is the hardest part. Just keep on pushing."

It took seven pushes before I heard the most beautiful sound in the world. My baby screaming.

"Congratulations . . . it's a boy."

I leaned back, trying to catch my breath. "I knew it . . ."

As soon as they cut the umbilical cord, they put my baby on my chest. It was such a wonderful experience. The most beautiful thing in the world. The most perfect thing in the world. In my hands.

" I carried you for nine months and now I am so glad that I get to see the creature that was in me all this time. You caused mommy a lot of pain, but you were so worth it. I love you so much, baby." I kissed him on the forehead.

Tears and tears and tears just ran out of both Adrian's and my eyes.

"Hey little guy, you're the best gift life could have given me. I love you so much."

Adrian pecked me on the lips. I felt so much better now. The nurses took him away from my hands because they had to check so see if he was fine, which he was. They returned my baby a couple minutes later. He was a healthy boy of seven pounds and some ounces. His features were mixed. He looked like his father, but he looked like me. He had green eyes like his dad's. Dark, dark hair like his grandpa, my father. Long, beautiful hands; cute, sexy, lips. I'm sure all girls would fall for him.

I didn't want to think about that now. I just wanted to enjoy my moment with my son and my husband.


	34. I Thought You Were too Busy

I felt a soft smile form on my lips as I observed Adrian holding our son while I chopped up some vegetables for dinner. Our son—we decided to name him Dante Paul—was napping in his daddy's arms. He slept all the time, which was non-surprising because he was only a couple months old, that' what babies pretty much did—eat, sleep, and crap. Adrian probably sensed my eyes on him and lifted his face and looked at me with the same smile I had, though his had a little hint of mischief.

"I look good as a daddy, don't I, babe?"

"You would say something like that. And yes you do. But I look better as a mom."

"That you do." He winked at me. "You're one hot momma."

"I knew that already. Thanks for the reminder, anyway."

"So, when are we going to give our son a brother or sister?"

"Obviously not now. Give it some time. We can try in a couple of years. Or months. I do want to have more kids, but now is not the time."

"Did you know Jade is already planning for the next baby?"

"That girl . . . I bet she won't stop having kids until she's forty. She tells you all these things?"

"Jade tells me anything. Half the time I have to remind her I'm still a guy."

I laughed. "I feel for you. Sometimes . . . she comes up with the most inappropriate things."

"I'm sure she does," he said dryly.

I was going to tell him about some of things Jade had said but the baby started crying. The gene of being an overprotective mother kicked in the day my baby was born so I was now finding myself taking Dante out of Adrian's arms. Adrian was just as worried sick as I was. I didn't not like to see my son crying.

Neither Adrian or me could get him to calm down. Finally, I took him in my arms and rocked him. He began to fall back asleep.

"I'll finish dinner." Adrian said.

"You're such a big help."

"And you're such a good mom."

I smiled and then focused my attention to my baby. He was being a little crazy bitch. Either he was hungry or he was dirty. Judging by the time it was he was hungry. Quite hungry, actually. I got up and went to go make him his bottle. The formula smelled disgusting but hey, they couldn't eat anything else. It was only a couple months left before he would get to eat real food. Glad I was the age I was now because I would probably die eating that gross milk.

I looked down and admired my baby once more. Jade, I assumed, knocked on the door and interrupted me admiring my baby. It was them. Jade and Jon came in, Jon holding their son Jaron in his hands. How cute. Adrian finished dinner and we all sat down and enjoyed some good food. We talked about our kids, Jade and I did. And Adrian and Jon talked about the new company they had opened up.

"So, Jon and I are planning a weekend in Vegas? Want to join? Lissa and Christian are already in. Just need you guys."

"When is this trip?"

"Whenever Jon and Adrian get time off work." She turned towards Jon and I turned towards Adrian. They honestly were never home. They were too busy with work.

"We'll go. Who cares about work. I need some time off anyway." Adrian finally said. And so it was.

**Three months later . . . A little trip**

"I don't want to leave him." I said to Adrian as we both sat on the couch, Dante in my hands. He was now six months old and the cutest thing alive. He had just started crawling a few weeks ago. It was the cutest thing. He started teething as well, and he would chew on everything he could get his hands on and he would eat anything he'd find. It was kind of hard taking care of a six month old. But I was pretty sure that it would get crazier when he was older.

"Baby, we need some time alone too, you know. The place we are going is only fifteen minutes away."

"Ugh . . . you're right." I looked over at my baby sitter which was going to be Adrian's cousin who specialized in taking care of kids. She was getting paid a few good thousands a night so I was pretty sure my baby would be in good hands. I stood up, an ache in my heart. "All right, in case of an emergency or anything just call us."

Edna smiled. "Rose, go have fun. Everything is going to be okay."

That's right bitch or I'll bash your head against a rock. Adrian put his hand on my back, smiling, as he sensed my thoughts. My husband knew me too well. One of the many reasons I loved him so much.

( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )

I saw Christian, Lissa, Jade, Jon, Eddie and . . . Sydney all standing in the lobby of the hotel we all were planning to stay at while our weekend in Vegas! It was the same one Adrian and I had stayed in before our real honeymoon took place. It brought back several memories of our first night of being husband and wife. Adrian and I looked at each other smiled and he pecked my lips.

Lissa was the one to spot me first. "Rose!" She rushed towards me and hugged me.

I hugged back. I hadn't seen this girl in like three months. She was so busy with . . . Christian. "Girl, I missed your ass!"

She chuckled. "I missed yours, too!"

I heard a sniffling behind me. "I guess you didn't miss my ass." Jade joked.

"I see you every day . . . no time to miss your ass." That didn't stop me from hugging my favorite sister-in-law.

"Hi, Rose." Sydney said and threw her arms around me. I smelled alcohol on her and judging by the semi-bloodshot eyes Eddie had, it was obvious they both had been drinking. Hmm . . . I thought Eddie was with Mia . . . ? I threw question marks over at Lissa ad she mouthed _Later. _

Adrian wound an arm around me. "Sorry, girls, this lady is mine, Rose is all mine." Adrian joked and we all laughed. "So, what's the game plan?"

"Let's go get wasted, gangster!" yelled the somewhat drunk Christian.

"Fo sho, bro!" Adrian said, slapping Christian on the back. "Follow us, ladies. We'll show you all how to have fun!" Adrian tightened his arm around me as we crossed the street to walk towards the Bellagio where a water show was currently showing. Our group must have looked pretty bad ass. Adrian and I were wearing black. People turned our way frequently. I was wearing a black halter dress that made my ass look ten times bigger and heels that made my legs look longer. It's rude to stare even if it is at someone as hot as us.

Jade was walking next to me, her husband by her side. Some girls in small dresses and really tall heels passed us. "Look at those skinny bitches." I said, giving one of the girls a dark glare. "They must be on the anorexic diet."

"Screw them . . . they don't have hot husbands like we do." Jade said. "I am pretty sure that's their job. Look good on the street and then get clients to fuck and get money. A hooker can't compare to us. So what if they are skinny. They'll never have husbands like ours."

"God, you're evil. Such a shit talker."

"Who _doesn't_ like talking shit? Everyone does . . . unless they are fakes."

"That's why I love you, Jade. You speak your mind." She smiled and we continued walking.

The street we were currently walking on was the main street, commonly referred as The Strip. All the good and new stuff was at this spot. We went inside the Balley's casino and drank some drinks while we played some hands at the poker tables. We walked to the Paris hotel and bought more drinks there. Adrian and I took some sexy pictures next to the Eiffel tower, the one that was in front of the hotel Paris. I sipped on my drink, which was awesome because it came in a cup, shaped like the Eiffel tower. We pretty much were getting wasted on the streets.

Nothing better than getting waster and waking up married with a stranger or waking up, hung-over, on the sidewalk. We walked all around exploring the hotels: Excalibur, MGM Grand, New York-New York, Luxor, and many more. We decided to dine at the Bellagio buffet since we were all under the influence of " beer munchies" which basically was getting hungry while drunk. We ordered more drinks.

But by then we were all acting all retarded, especially Adrian and me.

I stared at Adrian and laughed. "What color are your eyes, babe?"

"They are blue." He winked. "Bet you're digging them, aren't you, baby?"

"No, I actually prefer green eyes."

He raised an eyebrow. "My eyes turn green with love."

"And mine turn brown with love!"

Adrian stared at me. God, alcohol made you act all stupid. "Come here, baby. I'm feeling the love, aren't ya, too?"

"Fuck yeah, baby."

He patted his lap. "Come here so we can share the love, baby." Like a drunken fool I went. We made out for a couple of seconds, minutes, actually.

"Barf . . ." I heard Jade say. Then, she too started making out with her man. Pretty soon Eddie and Sydney and Christian and Lissa joined in. They kicked out because we were too crazy for their buffet. Laughing, we left.

"They couldn't handle us." Christian said.

"Fuck them . . . let's go get married." Eddie led Sydney forward to the nearby chapel that was inside the hotel. There was a lady at the front desk. "We want to get married." She nodded, laughing. Why was she laughing? This bitch is weird. Adrian and I were the wedding sponsors. The chapel actually provided Sydney with a pretty white dress so she could walk down the aisle like a regular bride. Eddie was put in a suit. Then, the rest of us were dressed as bridesmaids or groomsmen. What an awesome spur-of-the-moment wedding. It all took one hour. We walked out of the chapel all crazy and wild. The sun was rising and we were all getting tired.

We all followed Eddie when he said, "Party in my room!"

In his room, well, you can imagine what happened. More liquor. Loud music. And eight drunk people. This night was definitely not going to end well . . .

( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )

The sound of someone puking woke me up. I looked around and saw Jade puking in the trash can. Gross. Everywhere you looked . . . disaster. What the fuck had happened here? The person next to me tightened his arms around my naked body. I was happy to see that it was Adrian. We were both naked but thankfully, we had sheets around us. OMG. What the fuck? We were lying on the counter! On the fucking counter! How had it happened? Lissa was lying on the center, coffee table. Jon was half naked on the couch, head hanging off. And, oh God. I burst out laughing. Christian and Eddie were both cuddling in bed. Christian was spooning Eddie, an arm tightly around him. I looked around for Syd. But all I saw were broken things. TVs broken. Sofas flipped over. Lamps broken. Cans of beer on the floor. I finally saw Syd. She was halfway sprawled on the a door that had been torn off.

I heard a chuckle. "Oh, God. This is epic." I heard a snap and I noticed Jade snapping a picture of Christian and Eddie on the bed. Honestly, besides Christian and Eddie (hysterical laughter) were Adrian and I the only ones who had had sex? Seriously. Desperate, much?

"What the hell happened?" I asked Jade, but she was too busy laughing at Christian and Eddie.

She struggled for breath. "Breathe, girl." It was moments before she was saying, "Oh, God. That is epic." She shrugged. "I don't know what happened. But it is obvious what you and Adrian did." She winked. "Where is my husband?"

"On the couch."

She went to him and laid down on top of him. "What a night."

"Understatement . . ." I saw my clothes on the ground beside me and I reached down for my dress and slipped it on. I peeked under the sheets and was grateful when I noticed that Adrian had his jeans on. "I'm going to head back to my hotel room."

"So am I."

She began to shake Jon and I began to rattle Adrian. This was going to be hard. Once Adrian was out, he out. He wouldn't wake up for anything. Okay, Adrian. This is so not the time to be asleep. I slapped him and a mischievous smile formed on his face. "Getting a little rough, baby?"

"No. Let's go."

"Alright, baby." He got up and we started walking out. I needed a shower. And fast. God…what a night.


	35. Our Family is Complete

**Aww . . . I love this chapter. I am so sad. I am going to be starting school again. Anyways, I am sad to say that this is the second to last chapter of this story. Next is the story to Another Romance. It's going to focus more on Maya . . . it's going to be her story. Adrian and Rose will occasionally appear in the next story but it's more Maya's story. Well, I hope you have been enjoying this story. You guys are awesome! Keep up the amazing reviews! **

**I don't own Vampire Academy . . .**

**Three years later **

"Maya . . . no." I told my daughter that was a year and several months for like the billionth time it seemed. Adrian was gone for a business trip and I found myself pregnant again. I had two children already and this was my third pregnancy. But unlike my former pregnancies, I was carrying two babies this pregnancy. I was already six months pregnant and had found out that I was going to have two boys. Adrian and I had planned for three kids only and now we were getting four. It was all good, though.

"Maya . . ." I warned my daughter and she just smiled. Maya Samantha Ivashkov looked like me. A lot like me. Black hair. Long fingers exactly like mine. Lips shaped like mine. Eyes shaped the same way mine were. The only thing she had from Adrian was his color of eyes, though Maya's eyes were the darkest kind of green. Forest-green. And she and I both shared the crazy attitudes. I didn't even want to think about when she got older. Maya's birth had been the easiest out of her birth and Dante's birth. I had gotten an epidural for her birth. Of course it still hurt while birthing her but it didn't hurt as much as it had when Dante was born. Maya did not cry one bit when she born. Well, she did a little. But quieted after two minutes. And unlike Dante, she had been asleep when the nurses first handed her to Adrian and I.

"Maya, baby, he's sleeping . . ." Dante was asleep on the bed too. She liked torturing Dante. Whenever he was asleep, she liked poking him and waking him up. The more you told her to stop, the more she did it just to annoy you. When Adrian was out, I liked to sleep all my children with me. I just felt safe with them there.

When I saw Dante stir, I took Maya in my arms and took her in my lap. My phone vibrated on the side table. It was probably Adrian. Maya did not like being held. She was nor daddy's princess, nor mommy's girl. She liked to be by herself.

"Hey, baby. How are you?"

"I'm great. How our babies? And you?"

"I'm tired. Dante is sleeping and Maya is being her usual bitchy self. And the twins are fine, too." I told him, stroking my belly.

"I am so jealous right now. You get to hold our babies right now and I can't. I miss you, love."

"I do, too. Just one more day."

"A couple more hours for me."

"Did the other company finally sign the contract?"

"Last night, I made a point they liked and they finally signed. Let's not talk about business. Let's talk about us."

"Hmm . . . I am so tired." Maya had somehow crawled out of my hands.

"Go to sleep then, baby."

"Nah, I want to talk to you."

"I love you . . ."

"FUCK!" I screamed when I saw what Maya was doing.

"Can't . . . you're too far away, though I would love to, baby." I heard him chuckle.

I laughed and said, "You're daughter just shoved something in her mouth."

"That girl . . . how did we make such a crazy baby?"

"I don't know. But I'm glad we're almost done making babies."

"Babe, I love you. Call me tomorrow."

"Alright." He hung up.

Ten seconds later, the phone was vibrating again. It was Adrian. "I thought we agreed you would call me tomorrow."

"It is tomorrow. Well, your time. You hung up at 11:59 and its now midnight so its tomorrow."

"When did I marry such a ridiculous husband?"

He laughed softly. "I'll be there later on . . . won't be much time to miss me any longer."

"I can't wait till you get home. You have no idea what I have planned to do to you."

"Oh, yeah? Like what?"

He probably thought I was going to say something sexy. "Make you watch the kids while I sleep my ass off."

He snorted. "Of course you would say something like that. You sound tired. Go to sleep, baby. And when you start dreaming, you know I'll be there. I love you."

"Love you, too. Bye." I hung up the phone and tucked Maya next to me. The good thing about her was she slept right away. I loved that. It took me a few minutes to get comfortable. First I had to go pee. The urge to pee was just stronger in this pregnancy because I supported two babies on top of my bladder. After that, I slipped on my old lady pajamas. I would have slept naked but I only slept naked with Adrian. It would be _wrong _to sleep naked with my children in my bed. That thought safe and tucked away, I went to get inside my humongous bed. Once my back hit the supremely soft bed. A soft moan escaped my lips. It was minutes before I was out.

As soon as I began dreaming, Adrian was there, changing my dream so that we were in his grandmother's house. We were in the spot that had a small little creek with fishes inside it and flowers and trees surrounding it. It was beautiful. The most calming place on Earth, in my opinion that was.

Arms wrapped around me, putting both hands on my belly. I looked down at myself and noticed I was wearing a teal bikini that was made for maternity use.

"Beautiful as always."

I rotated so I was facing him. He rested both hands on my back and I rested my hands around his neck. "Remember this?" I asked looking around.

"Of course I do. We had _lots of fun_ here." He said a little mischievously.

"That we did . . ." I said and chuckled.

"Those days of our honeymoon were the best of my life, that is until our kids were born." Adrian and I continued reminiscing about the days we spent over at his grandmother's house. We talked and laughed about the good times. After an hour or so, (time meant nothing in dream mode) Adrian had to leave because the plane was going to leave him. He gave me a huge kiss as we parted. It was all good because I was going to see him soon.

( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )

"Maya, baby . . . that is not nice." I scolded my daughter as she threw a toy car at Dante's forehead. Always looking for trouble. It was not easy to take care of two children while cooking dinner. Adrian was only a couple minutes away from coming home so I was kind of relieved. Jade was here, as usual. Lissa was visiting today. Christian wasn't here. It was because of him precisely that she was here. Their relationship was turning a turn for the worse, I presumed.

I had never seen Lissa drink an ounce of liquor, much less a quarter of a bottle. Right now, I was looking at her with disapproval. I took the bottle away as she began pouring another round of liquor.

"Rose, give it back. I'm going through a really hard time right now." Tears began to fall out of her eyes.

"I know you are. But drinking won't solve anything." Jade put in.

"Do you really think Christian would leave me?"

"Lissa, I know Christian. He won't leave you. All marriages have arguments. It's the norm. Arguments are needed to keep a marriage sane because then later comes the reconciliation, which is quite fun." She laughed softly, but I could see she was still sad about Christian. Lissa had seen Christian with another woman. They hadn't been doing anything wrong but Lissa always took things to the extreme. Christian had gotten upset and crazy, I guess, and had threatened her with leaving. "You have two kids. I don't think he's going to leave you easy."

"You don't understand, Rose. I _know _he's been seeing someone else behind my back. We fight all the time. I don't know why I am still with him." She put her head in her hands. "He's been acting all crazy. Sometimes I feel as if he wants me out of the house. It's not the same anymore."

"If he kicks you out, you know you have a house here."

She lifted her face. "Thanks, Rose. You're the best."

"And my house is always your house." Jade said to her and put a hand over Lissa's and squeezed it.

"Thank you, Jade. I love you guys."

"My princess your prince has finally arrived." Adrian said from the hallway. Dante started running towards him as soon he came into view. "Daddy!"

Adrian lifted Dante and into his arms. "Hey there, big guy. I missed you!" Kids would never be too old to be your babies. Finally Maya took her sweet time getting up the table I had bought for her and Dante to eat their meals. She walked to Adrian. "Hi, daddy."

Adrian lifted her up in his arms as well. "Hey, princess." He gave her a huge kiss on the forehead. And she kissed him back. The cutest thing. All I could do was stare with wonder in my eyes. "I hope you behaved well for your mommy. I brought you guys something, but let me go say hi to mommy first." With both kids in his hands, Adrian walked up to me and gave me a good kiss. I saw Lissa look at us with sadness in her eyes. "Babe . . . it sure feels nice to have you back in my arms."

He kissed me once more and Maya said, "Ewwww." Adrian and I both chuckled at that. She squired in Adrian's arms, gave her daddy a kiss, and went to go run off where Dante had.

"Rose?"

I looked over at Lissa. She was really upset. "Yeah, Liss?"

She swallowed. She looked like she wanted to cry. "I'm going to head out." She came over and hugged me tight. "It's going to be okay." I whispered in her ear. When she left, her eyes were brimmed with tears.

"We're going to be going, too." Jade said. "I want to give my husband a little welcome back." She said cheekily. She hugged both her brother and I before she left.

That left Adrian and me alone and it was good.

"What's wrong with, Liss?"

"She thinks Christian is cheating on her."

Adrian had always looked out for Lissa. I saw the sadness in his eyes. Lissa and Christian had always been having problems. "I hope things get better between them or if they don't, I hope she leaves him first chance she gets."

"When you love someone . . . you forget all about their flaws and everything; you just want to love them, every part of that someone."

"Yeah, that's love."

The subject we were talking about was depressing. I changed the subject and asked random questions about the trip and the contract people from Australia had signed. He asked questions about the kids and the babies that were growing inside me. It was when we were sitting down for dinner that we talked about depressing subjects again.

"Oh, I just remembered. Guess who I saw in Australia?"

I raised an eyebrow.

"I saw Dimitri."

There went my good mood. "And?"

"And he's . . . changed."

"How?"

"Oh, God. It's hilarious." He started laughing, quite hysterically.

"What?!" I was getting frustrated because he wouldn't tell me. "Adrian Ivashkov! I am seconds away from slapping you!"

He took a deep breath and coughed a few time to hide his laughs. "You'll never guess."

"Guess what?"

"Did you know that Dimitri is gay?" He paused to laugh. Then continued. "Like seriously. He loves men."

I was shocked. "You're kidding, right?"

"No joke."

"Okay, I don't understand your humor. There is nothing wrong with gayness and lesbianism."

"No there is nothing wrong with that." He paused for a breath. "What's funny is that—"

He paused again for a laugh. "Adrian! Tell me!"

"Well, what's funny is that Dimitri tried hooking up with my dad and your dad. It was hysterical. I wish you would have been there. Our dads was scared. And you know how Nathan Ivashkov and Abe Mazur are not scared of anything."

I burst out laughing. I could see it all in my head. This buff Dimitri walking up to Nathan and my dad, looking all manly and stuff and trying to hook up with our dads. It was funny as hell. We spent most of the night laughing.

**A Couple months later . . . **

Adrian rubbed my back as we made our way to the entrance of the hospital. I was nervous. Today was my scheduled C-section so that I could finally bring my twins to this world and see the little creatures I carried for almost nine months. It was very dark outside. It was 6:30 A.M. and I was tired. I had not gotten much sleep last night because I had been nervous. Nerves never helped when trying to get sleep.

I was glad Adrian was here, for if not, I was sure I would fallen apart already. Adrian's mom had volunteered to watch the kids. She would bring them later on when the twins were born.

The receptionist made me wait half an hour so that they could get a room ready for me. I tried to breathe right. Every minute that passed meant that I was going to see my babies a lot sooner. Adrian continued to rub my back, my belly, my hands. He was very attentive. I was so proud that he was my husband.

Finally a nurse came and they put me in a wheel chair so that I could be wheeled the maternity floor. Since a C-section was a surgical procedure, they had to make some tests on me so that they could see if I was physically capable of a C-section. Two hours passed and somehow the hospital room brought a faint feeling of contractions.

They told me all the risks of the C-section and they promised everything was going to be alright. I believed them. Adrian was there, too, to hold my hand as I walked to the surgery room where my cesarean was going to take place. Everybody was dressed in this blue scrubs. I laid down on the bed and the anesthesiologist injected the anesthesia.

As soon as I was numb, the doctors began their work. It felt weird. I couldn't feel it, but I felt it. It was like when you're foot fell asleep and you touched your foot . . . you felt it but you didn't feel it, if that made sense. It felt sort of like that. Like somebody was touching you, but you couldn't quite feel it.

A few minutes later, I heard a wonderful cry.

A nurse held up my first son so I could see him. I began crying. More minutes passed and then another cry. Again a nurse held up the baby so that I could see them. I was numb and I couldn't move anything. I couldn't hold them yet. It was horrible. I just wanted to hold them in my hands. Adrian was taking pictures of them and I cried my ass off.

Adrian looked at me. "We have four kids . . . our family is complete." I smiled. I was very happy.

**Aww . . . so cute! I wrote a Night World FF . . . I would appreciate it a lot if you read it and told me what you thought of it. Thanks a lot! Please review! **


	36. Memories of Another Romance

**Twelve years later . . . **

_Jade, panting and blood rushing out of wounds she had on her body, slammed the door open. I dropped whatever it was what I had been holding and ran to her. I hugged her tightly and pulled the door shut, locking the door as I did. _

_Jade sobbed in my arms. "Rose! He's back! Both of them are back! And they are back for you, Rose!" _

"_Who?" _

"_Stan and Dimitri. They are not dhampir anymore—they are Strigoi. They attacked me. They're here. Outside your door." _

_I was so thankful Adrian had taken the kids to his parents house. Grabbing Jade's hand, I went to get the phone from the couch. I wanted to call Adrian in case anything happened to me. He answered on the first ring. _

"_Adrian . . ." _

"_Babe?"_

"_I want you to call as many guardians as you can to your parent's house. Don't let the kids out of your site for anything!" _

"_Why, Rose? What's happening?" _

"_Dimitri and Stan are back as Strigoi. They're here for me." _

"_Rose . . ." There was pain in his voice. "Rose, promise me you'll be safe." _

_My control faltered. My voice cracked. "I can't promise you that . . . . You promise me you'll take care of our kids if anything happens to me." _

"_You'll know I will do it, but I promise." _

"_Okay, then." Jade's eyes were streaming down tears. "I love you . . ." _

"_Don't you even think of dying on me, Rose! You'll make it. You're strong. You never give up! You can take both of them down!" _

"_Adrian . . . I love you. Take care of yourself . . ." _

"_Rose—I love you with all my heart. And I will continue loving you no matter what." _

_I felt detached when I hung up the phone. _

_I looked over at Jade. "Come with me." _

_She stood up, gripped to my hand. Adrian had built the house that had a basement made of steel. All around it were wards to fend off Strigoi. It was the "Secret Room." If ever a situation where a Strigoi were near our house, we would go down there and hide until the Strigoi left. I was going to hide Jade in there so that I could fight them off. The steel door was nothing a Strigoi could touch because the door was induced with Spirit. _

_I turned on Jade. "Jade, I want you to hide here so that I can take care of those bastards. Okay? The sun is almost out. And if I'm not back by then, you go look for help and get to safety as fast as you can? All right?" _

"_Yes, Rose." I went over the case that held all my stakes that were filled with magic. Before I left, she hugged me tight. "Take care, sister." _

_I threw a spare phone at her. "Call extra guardians in case of an emergency." _

_She nodded and let me leave. _

_I ran out the door. Okay. It was only a few hours away till the sun came out. Before I could do anything though, something slammed into my head and I passed out. _

_When I woke up, a sack was pulled off my head, my hands were tied behind my back. I struggled against them but the chains on my wrists were hard to break. I was also blindfolded and without my eyes able to see, I was vulnerable. I felt cold, chilly breath on my neck. Lips running down the side of my neck. _

"_Rose, my lovely, why weren't you ever mine?" _

_His voice sent chills down my spine. It made me feel cold. There was duct tape over my mouth so I could not say a word. _

"_I am going to let you go . . . but you're going to have play our game. The death race. Every room you enter, you have to face a challenge and if you pass you succeed to the next door. Each door will bring you closer to Exit Door." I felt fangs brush at my skin. "If you get to the door before the sun comes up, we'll let you go. But if you don't get to the door, we'll kill you. You'll be our snack. Or you'll be our Strigoi partner." Dimitri whispered in my ear. "Take the chance, Rose. I'm being nice today."_

_I felt cold hands undoing the chains on my wrists. "The game starts now . . ." _

_I stretched my hands, undoing the blindfold and taking off the duct tape off my mouth. I stood up from the chair I had been sitting on. I was stiff. Then, I noticed a door. I went to it and opened it. My first challenge. The challenges became harder as I passed up the doors. Some consisted of mine fields while I battled two or three Strigoi. You had to be extra careful with the mines because one step on them and they blew your head off. When I finally came to the last door, I faced Dimitri and Stan. I was tired though. I knew I couldn't kill them without dying myself. _

_They stood there with cruel smiles on both their faces. I had once chance to do this. Once chance to eliminate both of them. I had to take the chance now. I went towards Stan first. I slammed my stake into his heart and left it there, while I grabbed another stake from my inside my boot. I tried staking Dimitri but he was too fast and too good for me. I had been one of the best from my class but I had stopped training when I married Adrian. _

_That didn't mean I was going to stop trying. Dimitri had power over me and I knew he knew it too._

"_Just stop, Rose. You'll know I'll win anyways . . ." _

_No. I refused to stop. If I was going to die here, it better have been for something good like Dimitri's death. I didn't want my children and husband living in fear the rest of their lives. Dimitri was going to die. And it was going to be right now. _

"_I never give up!" _

_He attacked me. I had not expected that. When he saw I was on the ground, he randomly threw a pocket knife on me. It landed on my side. I screamed out in pain. I was losing blood and getting weak. What the hell was I going to do now? _

_Give up. Never. _

_Just die? Never. _

_Try. Always. _

_I pretended like I was hurt and too weak to move. Exactly like I planned, Dimitri came near me and kneeled down. I didn't move as his lips reached for my neck. I reached inside my other boot, and pulled out my other stake. Dimitri was focused on my blood not on what I was doing. _

_I stuck my stake into his heart. _

_There. _

_That was it. _

_He was dead or at least was dying. _

"_So you had guts after all . . ." _

"_You never underestimate, Rose Hathaway." _

_He chuckled and coughed up blood. "I'm proud of you, Rose." _

_Those were his last words. _

_I forgot about him and focused on me. I was so dying tonight. I felt empty. All I wanted was to close my eyes and let myself go to whatever wanted to take me. Before I was gone, I felt warm tears dripping on my face. _

"_Rose, baby, I'm here for you." _

_I opened my eyes, slightly. "It hurts, Adrian." It was like déjà vu. What was happening right now, had happened the first time we ever met, the real first time, except the situation was reversed. Adrian had been dying then, I was dying now. "I am not going to survive this. Promise me that you'll live for me." _

"_Don't say goodbye, yet. People will come and help you." Adrian whispered. _

"_I love you . . ." It wasn't the first time I had said those words but I was sure they were going to be the last . . . _

I knew I was dreaming, but I could not make myself wake up. It was a horrible nightmare, but this nightmare had happened to me. I had already lived through the horribleness of it. It seemed wrong to go through it again. But here I was dreaming of it again, like I had dreamt of this every night ever since _that _night that happened ten years ago.

A hand went to my forehead and miraculously, I woke up.

"Baby, are you alright?"

I snuggled into Adrian. "Oh, my God. I had that dream again."

"I know, baby. I heard you gasping and panting. I freaked out when you weren't waking up."

"What would I do without you?" I kissed his neck. "I hope I never find out."

He kissed me tenderly.

"Daddy!" Our nine year old daughter shouted from the door way, running and jumping on the bed to hug her dad.

"Zara, baby girl!"

Adrian had just come back from a business trip. I had been the only one who had waited till he came home.

I saw Zara shut her mouth tightly. She had just gotten braces and was embarrassed to smile.

"Ah . . . where's daddy smile? Come on. Smile for daddy."

Zara was my surprise baby. I hadn't known I was pregnant until I gave birth to her in the bathtub. I had had horrible pains all over throughout the whole day. I went inside the bathtub, hoping the warm water would ease some of my pain. But no. The pain became worse as each seconds ticked by. Then I had felt this horrible desire to just push. And when I finished pushing, Zara was out. The doctors said it was a miracle she had survived. Unlike Maya, Zara looked like me. She had my brown eyes and brown hair. And unlike Maya, Zara actually smiled, real smiles, not like the smiles Maya gave when she hurt someone.

"Come on, baby. Just one smile."

Zara shook her head.

"Not even a small smile?"

Zara shook her head again.

Adrian began singing the song "Sara Smile" but he substituted "Sara" to "Zara."

"Zara, Zara . . . smile. Ohh . . . You know how it makes me feel to see you smiling."

I laughed. "Adrian, you're scaring our baby. Can you please be quiet?"

That got a smile out of Zara. She shut her lips tight again. But Adrian had seen. "Aww, baby, they don't look bad."

"Really?"

"You look beautiful, like always."

Zara smiled once more, showing a full smile of braces. "Thanks, daddy." She threw her arms around him. "I love you." Zara was more of "daddy's girl" and Maya was more like a bitch. Mommy's twin bitch.

I looked over at the clock. "Time to make breakfast." I looked at the time again. "Never mind. It's time to make you guys lunch." I shot out of bed, walking to the bathroom. "You should have woken me up so that I could have fed you guys."

"It's okay, mommy. Grandma fed us."

"That's great, honey."

I took a quick shower because last night I had worked out and didn't shower. Gross. When I got out, I went to the kitchen. During lunch, the kids ate whatever so feeding them was easy. I stuck home fish sticks and French fries in the oven. I did an Itilian meal for Adrian and me. When I was finished cooking, I called out to the kids and to Adrian.

When none of my kids arrived, I went to go look for them.

Dante was in his room, talking on the phone. Adrian had talked to him earlier this week and Dante had confessed he had a little "girl friend." Dante was now thirteen years old. Where did the time go? I looked around Dante's room. It was all dark colors. He was a rock 'n' roll fan. He had posters of Avenged Sevenfold, Guns & Roses, Fallout Boy, Blink 182, Linkin Park, Green Day, Skillet, Muse, and a whole lot more. All the posters were signed by the each member of the band. Dante reminded me a lot of my dad. Powerful, yet at the same time, caring. He loved the idea of being a guardian and that was his career goal in life. He had a picture with the most badass guardian out there Shane Kovalinan on his wall. And he always wore a gold necklace that my mother had given him. My mother was his idol and every weekend they would train together.

"Baby?"

"Yeah, mom?"

"Lunch is ready."

"I'll go right now."

Next room to visit was Maya's.

Maya was eleven, almost twelve years old. Like Dante, Maya had dark colors in her room. Her room was green and black and had a huge bed because she had wanted it like that. Maya was a bit rebellious and didn't care about anything except winning. Even though Maya was wild, she had a huge interest in country music. Like Dante, she had posters all signed by her favorite artists. Her "Country Wall" was the wall where she had all her posters and stuff like that. She posters of Lady Antebellum, Garth Brooks, Kenny Chesney, Sugarland, Tim McGraw, George Strait, Keith Urban, Taylor Swift, Billy Currington, and many more country singers. She had a huge crush on Dierks Bentley. Also not to be missed in her room were her cowboy boots. When she was six and Zara was three, I had entered then in a pageant. She won "Little Miss Princess" which was the best you could get. Then, she said she didn't want to compete anymore because "pageants were for losers like Zara." Secretly, she was my favorite daughter.

"Zara!" I called out because she had her eyes closed and had her stereo blasted.

"Yes, mom?"

"Daddy's home. And lunch is ready. Get your cowgirl butt downstairs." She smiled at the term "cowgirl."

"Whatever you say, mom."

The first-born twin was next. Cade Adam Ivashkov's room was a disaster. Like always. He was more like Adrian. Wild, lazy, and didn't really care about anything. He had a strong passion for guitars and a stronger passion for soccer. Cade was almost eleven. His room was black and white, guitars of every kind all over his room. His dream was to start a band, but bigger than that dream was the dream of him becoming a soccer player. Cade was like his father. Like to be babied, didn't fight unless he had to, didn't like school at all, he slacked a lot more than his siblings. He also looked like his father. Light brown hair, gorgeous green eyes. He had a picture of himself and Adrian on Halloween, where they both were making funny faces. I loved that picture to death. And I loved this boy to death.

"Cade—"

"Yes, mom. I know. I heard you yelling at Maya."

That was easy. I crossed the hallway to my other son's room, the other twin. Kyle Sebastian was throwing a soccer ball in the air when I walked in his room. Like his twin brother, he shared the strong passion for soccer. He was a mixture of both Adrian and me. He had medium brown hair, my brown eyes. Kyle was messy like his father. He was the nicest son I had but he had a bit of an edge like Adrian. Kyle hated when people talked about his family. One day, we were at the store and a rude kid had called Maya boy. Maya could take care of herself but Kyle defended her. He threw the boy against the wall and told him not to mess with his family. I felt so proud of him that day. Him and Maya were the best of buds. He also had a picture that I loved. Him and Cade were both holding guitars as if they were guitar players. And there was that picture of him and Maya where they both held water guns and shot at one another. Yup, that was Maya. Always doing the things females shouldn't do.

"Your dad's here, Kyle. Lunch time."

He nodded. And headed downstairs.

Next was the baby of the family. Zara Sophia Ivashkov was babied too much. She had deep brown eyes, light brown, wavy hair like Adrian's. She hated doing things by herself. Ever since she was three year, she competed in every pageant there was. She had won over three hundred pageants. Shelves after shelves were filled with crowns, trophies, sashes, medals, and a whole lot of other things. Her room was pink and purple, kind of obvious for a daddy's girl. Polka dots of many colors also adorned her room. There was a picture of her and Maya when they had first entered their first pageant. Such a cute picture. There were all sorts of pictures of her as a baby on her wall as well. She loved her baby self.

"Honey-bear, time to eat. Daddy's waiting for some family time downstairs."

"Okay, mommy." She left the room and I began to think to myself.

Where did the time go?

( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )

"Baby, there you are."

"Yes. I always love the twilight breeze out here on the balcony."

I walked over to join Adrian and sat next to him. I rested my head on his shoulder and thought about life lately.

Lissa and Christian had gotten married and they had three kids. Eddie and Sydney stayed married but continued their jobs as alchemists and guardians. Jade and Jon had also had had five kids like Adrian and I had. We all had happy lives.

"Remember the day we met?" Adrian asked.

"How could I ever forget?" I sighed. "Since then I loved you, and from now, I love you. Forever . . . my love you'll have."

"I love you more." Adrian whispered, our foreheads pressed against each other.

I raised an eyebrow. "Really?" I asked leaning closer. He nodded. "Then prove it."

"How?" He asked.

"Kiss me."

And he did.

After, he just wrapped his arms around me, and let the night take over us—us, who were the lovers, friends, and soul mates of the century.

Soul mates _are _meant to be . . . just look at Adrian and me, the happy lovers of the century . . .

**The End**

**Aww . . . I am soo sad that this story is over? Who's sad too? I love this story! The best I have ever written! Well…thanks a gazillion!**

**Lots of love . . .**

**-Mel **


	37. 1 Zara and Me

**Update 10/6/2013: HERE IS THIS SEQUEL TO ANOTHER ROMANCE: **

**I don't own Vampire Academy . . . **

**Thirteen . . .**

I felt a cruel smile tantalize the side of my lips as I noticed Zara standing on the edge of the pool. Just a little push and she would fall right in. Damn, Zara was too smart, that was the problem. She would know what I was planning to do as soon as I got near her and she would run away, yelling like crazy till she got to mom or dad.

My brilliant mind thought of something.

"Zara?" I called out in a sugary-sweet voice, walking slowly towards her. "I want to enter this year's pageant with you—"Ugh! How disgusting!—"so can you please be my teacher?" Yes! I was standing next to her and she hadn't realized my intentions!

She turned around and looked at me with that sweet smile she always wore. She was too nice for my mad world. There was excitement in her eyes.

"May—"

Oh. No. She did not just call me that. I pushed her off the edge and she fell in the pool. It was a little bit chilly outside but my mom and dad always kept the pool heated because they didn't want their "babies" to get cold.

I laughed evilly as I watched her storm out of the pool and up to my face. "Why'd you do that for?!"

"MAYA!" Oh. Shoot. My mother.

Good thing my awesome bro was standing a few feet away from me, chuckling the same way I had been laughing. I put on my innocent face. "Mom . . . Kyle made me do it. He said he would give me ten bucks if I pushed her off."

My mother looked at me, putting her palm to her face. "Maya . . ." She shook her head. "Maya, what am I going to do with you?"

The way she looked at me, made me feel guilty. My mother, I had heard, was a crazy one. But according to my daddy, (yes daddy) she had gone all compassionate when she had us. I didn't not to turn all weak and emotional so I was never having kids.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out my cell phone and gave it to her. I loved my mother to death. She was the most beautiful person in the world . . . and I loved her. "Take my phone."

With a pain in my chest, (I love that phone more than anything else in the world) she took my phone. I knew the drill. I wouldn't get my phone back until I learned how to behave. Man . . . I had to be good now.

Yay . . . being good was my favorite thing in the world . . . .

. . . not.

I rolled my eyes and continued to think of more things to torture Zara with.

I began walking away, to my awesome brother Kyle. I passed Zara giving her a look that was supposed to be evil.

She looked back at me with a look of her own.

_More trouble is coming your way . . . _

**Fourteen . . .**

I dropped my bag as soon as I walked in the door. Ugh. I hated school. Damn, I wanted to drop out. But my mother would probably freak out and make my daddy send me to a private school or something scary like that, where nuns chased you and locked you in closets. Oh, God. Scary. Bless my soul . . .

My mother was making dinner when I walked into the kitchen. Judging by the good smell, she was probably making my favorite food which was Chinese food. My mother had passed down her gene for love of Chinese food to me. From mother to daughter. Since I loved my mother, I walked up to her and she already had her arms open for me.

"Hey, sweetheart, how was school?"

"It was boring and I fell asleep in most classes." I yawned as to prove my point.

My mother, Rose, laughed softly. "I was just like you when I was your age."

"How long ago was that, fifty years ago?"

She gave me a dark look. "I'm not that old."

"No, you're not. Daddy's old, though." I cackled darkly.

My mom laughed along with me. "Shhh . . . age is a touchy subject for him."

"Old or not, you know I'll still—"

"Mommy!"

The voice disgusted me to no end. My mom gave me another dark look. God, that little peanut had to ruin everything.

Zara rushed to my mom's arm. "Sweetheart, how was school?"

"It was soo fun! Can Kasey come over later on? We want to do makeovers and manicures. Maya can join too, if she wants. Please."

"Go ask daddy."

"But he left." She was starting to pout. See if she would pout when my fist was all up in her face.

"Baby . . . yes, Kasey can come over. You have to include Maya as well."

She started squealing. In my mom's ears, Zara probably sounded cute; in _my _ears, however, she sounded like a squealing pig.

Zara ran up to me and hugged me. I never returned the hugs back, though. "Hey, hey. What did I tell you about touching the precious merchandise. Hands off."

Zara still remained with that dorky smile. She let go, whatsoever. "Maya! Do you want join us later on?"

I yawned. "Zara, you are so not amusing me." I yawned again. "But sure I'll join you guys. I might have to excuse myself constantly to barf because you know makeovers are not my thing. Too girly . . . and nasty."

I saw my mommy smile from the corner of my eye. It took every ounce of my being not to crack a smile myself.

I hopped off the stool I had been sitting on. "Well, I'm going to hit the sack. No wait, mom, can I go sleep on your bed? I didn't get sleep last night. I was talking to the sexy Brendon! Mmm . . . that boy is delicious."

"Okay." Zara said a little awkwardly.

"Maya you can go sleep on my bed." She paused. "But first, I need to talk to you girls. Sit down, Maya and Zara."

I sort of had a clue of what she was going to say. I glanced over at Zara and she still wore that freaky smile. Did she glue it on there or something? I would smile like Zara, but smiling was not my thing—laughing evilly was my thing.

"Mom, what do you want to talk to us about?" Zara asked, folding her hands on the counter. God, what a girly freak. I, however, leaned back on the chair-like stool and rested my feet on the counter. "Make it quick, beautiful mommy, I have some Z's to catch."

"So, it's just us girls. We have to be open here."

I nodded. Zara nodded _and _smiled. She sat up straighter.

"I feel that you girls are mature enough and are ready to have 'The Talk.'"

I gasped. "Mother! You are not doing this to me!"

"Maya! I have a right . . . I'm your mother. I only want you girls to be safe. Tell me what you girls know already."

She looked at me first. Why me!? I could see she was not going to remove her gaze away from me. I was screwed. I heard Zara chuckle. "This is all I know . . . don't sleep around because accidents happen."

My mom nodded. "They do happen. How about you, Zara?"

Zara was an overachiever and she knew everything because she actually paid attention in school. I was too busy chatting it up with the homies or the sexy guys. "Well, you have to know your body because if something abnormal shows up you can immediately know that it's not normal. Second, your partner and you should get checked before having sexual relationships because you don't want to get an STD or an STI. Third, always wear protection. Last, abstinence is the absolutely best way to stay free of diseases and unwanted pregnancies."

I could tell my mother was impressed. "Very good, Zee." Ugh, why did my mother have to call us these really horrible nicknames?

I leaned forward and looked at Zara, with a question look. "You know . . . I have absolutely no idea what the hell you said . . ." I gave her the blankest look I could ever conjure.

She smirked. "Maybe you should pay attention in school . . ."

I yawned hugely. "Well, I'm going to take a nap. Call me when dinner is ready mommy." To Zara I said. "Only losers like you pay attention in school . . ."

The smirk fading.

I gave an evil laugh.

Who's smirking now, bitch?

**Fifteen . . .**

I knocked softly on Zara's door. I waited a few seconds till she came to my door. Usually, I walked right in but I wanted her help right now and I had to go by her orders.

"What's up, May."

I looked around and looked to see if no one was coming. I pushed her inside the room and closed the door.

"Zara, honey-bear—"

Zara started laughing hysterically. I waited for her to calm down. "You can cut the sweet-talk, Maya, it's not made for your attitude."

"Okay, thanks. I don't like feeling fake. Anyways, I need your help."

"On what? May, I already did your Geometry homework three weeks in a row. What else do you want?"

"It's not about Geometry!" I yelled as I went to go sit down on her bed.

"Then, what's it about?"

"Teach me how to wear makeup and do my hair pretty and all beautiful . . ."

"May, what brought this on?"

I laid back on her bed, toying with one of her pillow cushions. I knew she was going to ask this question. I couldn't bring myself to look at her. "I like this guy. And I actually like _like _him. I just don't think he's sexy. I _like _him."

"So you _like _ a guy . . ." She smiled. "So you finally admit that _liking _guys isn't for 'losers like Zara?'"

I threw the cushion at her. I was surprised when she blocked it. "Yes! God damn it."

She came to sit on the bed with me. "Who is he?"

"He goes to our school . . ."

"Wow, May, a billion guys go to our school. I need some more info. Share all the details. Is he cute?"

"Okay, he comes over to our house constantly and yes."

Zara raised an eyebrow. "The pool guy?"

I threw her a dark look. The pool guy was sexy. Zara and I would sit outside and would watch him clean the pool.

"God you dork. He's like old guy status."

She chuckled. "I know. I'm just kidding. Who is it?"

"Matt . . ." Saying his name made me blush.

"I knew it! Aww . . . you two make such a cute couple."

I turned red. "God, can we please not talk about Matt. Teach me how to be pretty."

"May, you're pretty already. You don't make up or anything. But I will show you."

"Thanks, Zee. I knew coming to you was a good thing."

"If I hadn't helped you, where would you have gone?"

With a straight face, I said, "Kyle."

She laughed hysterically. And after a second, I laughed too . . .

**Sixteen . . .**

I was listening to my favorite song in the whole world when my sister came crying into my room. I had ditched school today and I was always there to protect my little sister at all costs. Damn.

I jumped off the bed and went to hug her. "Who's head am I going to rip off?"

"Ashley . . ." She sobbed into my arms.

"What did that whore do to you?!"

"I saw her kissing Grant."

"And did you dump his ass?"

She nodded. "Yes. I took your advice. Once a cheater, always a cheater."

"That's my sister." I let her go for a second and called out to my comrade-in-arms. "Kyle!" He was in my room in seconds.

He was breathless. "Who do we have to kill?"

"I want you to teach Grant Cinn a lesson."

"Yes, Maya. You know I got your back forever."

"Thanks, bro. I got yours too. Now go get that bastard."

"Now, do you want to take a little trip to Ashley's house?"

My smile, which was cruel made her nod her head. Ashley's house was right down the road. Thank God. I didn't want to walk a lot.

I knocked on the door and Mrs. Olivera answered the door. "Maya, darling, I suppose you are here to see Ashley?"

I smiled nicely and she took that as a yes.

A few seconds later, Ashley was out the door. And I was in her face.

I started yelling. "Why the hell did you do that to Zara?" She stayed quiet. Good. I wasn't done talking. "You can do whatever the fuck you want to any girl you want, but not my sister. If I ever hear of you doing anything to Zara again, I'll swear I'll rip your head off! You got that, whore? Because you're just talk. You can't back your shit up. You got that?!"

She nodded.

"I want to hear you say it!"

"Yes." She gasped out.

I lowered my voice level. I was deadlier when my voice was quiet. "Okay, as long as we got that straight." I let her go, hard, and she fell on her ass.

I turned around, dragging Zara with me.

I smiled cruelly. "You know . . . I just dropped her on dog shit."

That made her laugh. I joined in after a while. She reached over and hugged me. "I love you, my sister. You're my best friend in the whole wide world."

For some reason, that brought a huge lump to my throat. I was not going to cry, though. It would be kind of weird. Seconds before I was acting all badass and now I was struggling not to cry. I cleared my throat several times. "Love you, too, Zara."


	38. 2 Shocking Truth

**Wow . . . I wrote a 3000 word chapter in two hours! Damn…I hadn't seen that happen in like several months! Hmm….thanks so much for your support! Thanks for all the wonderful reviews! You guys are awesome! Here is the next chapter…just for you my wonderful readers! **

**I don't own Vampire Academy . . . **

**Seventeen . . . **

"So did you hear about the Summer Night?" I asked Zara as we both lounged in the warm Jacuzzi. The bright lights of Las Vegas lit up the night—or morning? Over here, you couldn't really tell if it was morning or night. I loved this house to death. My father had bought some time after he had gotten married with my mother.

Zara nodded. "Are you going?"

The Summer Night was basically a summer night were everyone had fun. It was just like prom but it was outside. You had to dress as if you were going to a prom, though, or else the personnel wouldn't let you in. It was from ages 15 to 18. I had begged my father to go and at first he wouldn't budge. Until, we made a deal. Dante or Kyle had to accompany me. And of course, it was Kyle who was going. Dante was too _nice _and would tell my parents everything I did as opposed to Kyle who didn't give a shit.

"Yes, I am. I thought you were there when I was begging our daddy."

"No . . ." She was surprisingly quiet today.

"Dude, are you okay?"

She smiled. First smile of the day. "Yes, I'm fine."

"Your abnormally quiet . . . how unusual." I shivered and she laughed.

"Yes, May, I really am fine."

"If you want me to beat somebody up you know you just have to say so."

She smiled again. "I know you would."

"Okay, change of subject." I had gotten and empty bottle of vodka that my dad had drunk in like four months because my mother wouldn't let him drink and filled it with water. I took a sip of it and Zara stared at me wide-eyed. "Maya, are you drinking vodka?"

I gave her a strange look. "No. Why would I do that? It's water, you want to taste?"

She stared at me with amusement. I knew she was seconds away from laughing. "Why would you fill and vodka bottle with water?"

I shrugged. "I don't know . . . I was bored. Plus, you know how much my dad freaks out when his girls are touching a liquor bottle."

"So you're just doing it to freak him out?"

I chuckled. "Yes. You can say it, I'm weird."

"Get it right, May-Bear. We're not weird . . . we're just unique."

"Yes, you and I are definitely one of a kind." It was silent for a couple of seconds. "So are you going to the Summer Night?"

"It's in two days and I don't have a dress or a date."

"You'll find one or I'll find you one." I grinned mischievously. "Hmm . . . do you like Tanner Hughes?" She didn't need to say more. Her blush was all I needed to see. I winked at her. "Well, my darling, I have to go find you a date. Enjoy your night." I grabbed the huge towel and wrapped it around myself. "I'll send Cade out here so that you won't be lonely."

"Maya! No!"

"Yes, my love. You are going with Tanner to the Summer Night!"

"MAYA!" She yelled but I already gone, laughing evilly.

I dressed quickly and left my hair down after running a towel a couple times through it so that it could dry. Then, I went to go look for my mommy because I needed her permission first before I did anything for Zara. I looked all over the house before finding out that she was in her bedroom.

I knocked softly on the door and opened it a little. I didn't want to catch her getting it on with my dad. That would be gross. Thankfully, though, she was alone. "May I come in, mommy?"

She smiled. "Of course, baby."

I went to go lay down with her on the bed. "Can I sleep with you and daddy tonight?"

That made her laugh. "Sure, but your daddy and I plan to get a little crazy tonight, though."

"Oh, mom. God, I so did not want to know that."

That made her laugh as well. I loved my mom because she was laid back and could take any joke. My dad was just the same, a tad bit crazier than my mother, though.

"So, mommy, I have something to ask you."

"Go ahead, sweetheart."

"Can I bring along Zara with me to the Summer Night?"

She nodded. "I see no problem with it. But you need to ask your dad first."

"God . . . my dad is unreasonable when it comes us, his babies."

"Well, Zara and you are his spoiled princess what can I say?"

"Shouldn't you be included? You're his spoiled princess as well."

"May-Bear, get it right, I'm his queen."

Both she and I were laughing when my dad walked in. My father was a handsome man despite his age. His hair was still dark, but soon it would be getting a little gray something that freaked him out but was inevitable. Hey, at least he didn't have bald spots yet. He laid next to my mother on the bed.

"Dad?"

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"Umm . . . can I bring along Zara with me to the party?"

The daddy's girl over protectiveness set in. "Who is she going with?"

"Kyle, Matt, and me."

"If Zara goes . . . Dante goes."

Yes, I loved my father but sometimes I wanted to hit him in the femur. "Dad!"

Thankfully, my mother spoke up. "Adrian, babe, Zara is responsible. A lot more responsible than Maya." I didn't say anything because I didn't have anything to say. It was true. " She knows how to handle herself and besides Tanner is a good boy."

My mom knew my father better. She knew how all his buttons functioned. And that was why my father gave me and Zara permission to go. Now all I needed was to call up Tanner. I knew he had a crush on Zara because him and my best friend Matt were like brothers. I kissed both my dad and mom and went to my room to make some phone calls. Zara was fifteen and this was going to be the night of her life, well the night of her fifteenth year of life . . .

The next two days were spent shopping and planning for the night that was soon to come. Tanner had been so happy when I told him that Zara wanted to take him to the party. But of course, I made him man up and told him he had to ask her. He asked her and she, shyly, agreed. The past two hours, Zara and I had spent getting ready. Since our daddy loved us and we _were _daddy's girls, there were two women there getting our hair and makeup ready.

My mother and dad snapped pictures of us. Kyle had scored himself a date, the girl next door named Emily. She was a pretty dirty-blonde haired Moroi with light green eyes that looked blue at times. She wore a pink dress that matched her perfectly.

Zara and Tanner looked cute together as well. Tanner was a cute guy with blue eyes and light brown hair. Zara wore a dress that made her curves stand out. It was white with light patterns and a pink sash around the waist.

Matthew, Lissa and Christian's second kid, was my date. He looked like his mother but with black hair. He looked nothing like Christian, though. His mother was there as well, which was not surprising because Lissa and my mother were best friends. I wore a black dress, of course, that hugged my body. It was strapless and went just about the knees. My daddy's plastic had bought me a pair of awesome Christian Louboutin pumps.

"You look hot . . ." Matt whispered in my ear.

"Thanks, babe." I whispered back. Matt and I had recently started dating. We had know each other ever since we were born. He was born a month before I was. And he _was _my best friend.

Since my parents really didn't like the fact of Zara riding alone in a car with Tanner, my dad had hired a chauffeur to drive Zara, Kyle, Tanner, and Emily in a Hummer limo. My dad had recently given me an orange Camaro and I decided to drive with Matthew. We would have rode in the limo but Matthew and I wanted to go our separate ways later on.

Our parents wished us luck and told us to have a good time before we left. Matthew hopped into the passenger seat. My car was a convertible so I could take off the roof. Hell yeah! Nevada was always hot so I didn't have to worry about freezing to death with the outside weather.

I turned up my radio. The coolest new song was currently on. One thing I loved about Matt was that we both shared a love for country music. He understood me and my weird music taste. _Stuck Like Glue _by _Sugarland _was currently playing. I had mentioned earlier to Matt that this was his song to him by me.

We arrived at the party in no time. It was being hosted at one of my dad's friend's house this year. Next year would probably be our house. I parked my car and I saw people look at me and Matt, linked together, hand in hand. This was some new gossip to talk about. Guys of all sorts turned to look at me. According to my dad, I had inherited my mom's guy-magnet gene. The guys turned away, longing in their eyes, when they saw I was taken.

"I feel like the luckiest guy in the world."

"Why so?"

"First, let me rephrase that. I am the luckiest guy in the world?"

"Why do you say?"

"Isn't obvious?"

"No. Care to share?"

"Look all those guys staring at you with longing in their eyes."

"Who cares about those guys? I only care about you."

I closed off the subject when I noticed my best friend Elena standing alone, trying to hit at some guy. The was going to be a good night. Matt and I danced, chatted with some friends, and had fun. Finally, though, I whispered in his ear if he wanted to go somewhere else. We hopped into our car and while I did I saw Zara having a blast with Tanner. Kyle was standing next to her, Emily at his side. They looked like they were having fun. They'd do fine without me.

I drove to a mountain that was part of our property, where you could say the whole view of Las Vegas. My parents now that their kids were grown, spent almost every weekend there with my Aunt Jade and my Uncle Jon.

"Now we can be alone . . ." I said to Matt and faced him.

He sighed. "Yes we can . . ." He reached for me before I did and we had a nice time in the backseat of my car . . .

Afterwards, I felt so happy.

I laid on top of Matt's chest as he stroked my hair. "God, you're so beautiful Maya . . ."

"I know."

"Maya?"

"Yes?"

"Something is bothering me."

"Me too . . ."

He was instantly worried. "What's wrong?"

I let out my breath. "My dad wants to move to the West Coast. I know it's only a couple hours away from here, but still. I want to stay here in Nevada. I love it here. I love the lights of Las Vegas."

"Ohh . . . you're going to be a California Girl."

I smiled. "Is that wrong?"

"Nope. You're going to be just like that song . . ."

I thought about it for a second. "Oh. This song: California girls We're unforgettable Daisy Dukes Bikinis on top Sun-kissed skin So hot We'll melt your Popsicle Oooooh oh oooooh. . . that song?"

He nodded and continued to sing with me. "California girls We're undeniable Fine, fresh, fierce We got it on lock Westcoast represent Now put your hands up Oooooh oh ooooo."

I laughed out loud. "God, your singing skills make me feel like a professional." Then, I remembered that he had something that was bothering him. "Wait . . . what is bothering _you_?"

He let out his breath, being all serious now. "My dad."

"What about your dad?"

"I have a feeling that my dad isn't who I thought it was."

"What . . . the hell!?"

"I overheard my mother talking to my dad's cousin the other night on the phone. She was saying something about, 'he's your son! You need to support him.' And 'Maybe if you would have kept your dick in your pants he wouldn't have been made. Christian might start suspecting that he isn't his son.'" He glanced down at me. "Excuse my language."

"It's fine . . ." I was shocked. Aunt Lissa would never use that language. "I—I don't know what to say. Maybe you should confront your mom."

"I want to, but I don't want to do it alone."

Without thinking, I said, "I'll go with you . . ."

"Let's get dressed" was all he said.

We found Aunt Lissa sitting inside the kitchen when Matt and I arrived. She smiled at us. "Did you forget something? It's too early to be back home."

Matt seemed nervous so I answered for him. "No, actually the party was getting boring. We wanted to come home."

"Oh, well. Have fun?"

"Lots of fun . . ." I said. My sex hair was enough to prove the "fun" part.

Matt sat down across from his mother. He motioned for me to go over to him. I went. "Where's dad?"

"Being an ass." Aunt Lissa said flatly.

Matt looked at her. "Dad?"

"Oh, Dad. He took the girls out."

"Okay, good."

"Is there something you need?"

"I need to talk to you, mom."

Aunt Lissa lost some of her composure. "What about?"

"My dad. My real dad."

Aunt Lissa stared at him. "You're real dad?"

"I know Christian isn't my dad . . ."

"You're real dad is Christian. I don't know why you think otherwise."

"Mother, don't lie to me. You know how much I hate being lied to."

She stared at him for a couple of minutes. "Fine . . . you dad isn't Christian."

Matt let out a breath. "Then, who is my real dad?"

"Matthew Ozera."

"Oh, God . . . how?"

I _should _have known. Aunt Lissa named Matt after his father.

"Your father and I went to party one Christmas at his house. We got wasted and . . . you know what happens next. Nine months later my illegitimate son was born." Aunt Lissa seemed sad.

"Does Dad know?"

"Which one?"

It was such a horrible moment to laugh, but I did. She had to ask which dad.

"Christian?"

Her eyes turned huge. "Oh, Matt. Please don't tell him. I've been able to keep it a secret all this time! Don't waste what he and I have!"

"Why can't you just tell him the truth? Why couldn't you just tell _me _the truth?!"

"Because I didn't want you to hate me . . ." Tears started falling out of her face. All I could do was stand there like an idiot.

"You're my mother! Nothing is going to make me hate you! But . . ." He stood up. "I need some time alone. I don't want to hear from you right now."

"Matt . . ." She sobbed. She reached out for him.

"Leave me alone!" He ran out the door and I ran after him, surprised that I could do it in heels.

"Matt . . . ?" I called out to him.

"I don't want to be here, Maya. Can we go somewhere else?"

I took him to my house because that's the only place we could go. My father and mother welcomed him to stay at the house for whatever time he wanted. They were concerned for him. When Matt fell asleep, my mother and father called me into my dad's office.

"What happened to him?" My mom asked. She was very concerned. She looked out for her Aunt Lissa's kids as if they were her own. So did my father.

"Did you know Matt isn't Uncle Christian's son?"

My mom nodded sadly. "I wanted to tell Mattie myself but Lissa stopped me. And I didn't want to see Matt hurt."

"I guess they're even. Lissa has an illegitimate son and Christian has an illegitimate daughter." My daddy put in.

What the hell? Talk about a dysfunctional family.

I leaned back on my chair. "Please don't tell me you have kids on the side?"

My dad chuckled. "Your mother would shoot me if I did. Why would I want kids on the side, anyway. I love my wife and five beautiful kids. I don't need anything else."

"Mom?"

"No, Maya. I don't have kids on the side."

"Okay, just making sure."

"Poor guy, it's a lot to take in. You go all your life thinking you have thinking something and then later realizing it wasn't true."

I nodded. "Now that we're all gathered here. I want to bring up a subject?"

My mom, Rose, and my dad, Adrian looked at me expectantly.

"Do we really need to move to California?"

"Oh, we're not moving." My mom put in.

I was about to kiss both of them when my mom spoke again.

"You and your brothers and sister are going to St. Vladimir's Academy?"

The world ended . . .

"What?!"

**Haha…I just love Maya. Hmm … liked the chapter? Tell me what you think . . .**

**-Mel**


	39. 3 Vampire Academy

**Not gonna be a long A/N because I have to get to sleep. I hope you enjoy! And thanks for reviewing! **

"Mom! Dad! You can't be serious!"

"It was Dante's idea. He thought it would be good for you and your siblings to learn how to protect yourselves the right way."

"God . . . I'm going to kill Dante."

"May, sweetie, this is actually a good thing. You're going to finish your high school curriculum at St. Vladimir's, while training with experienced guardians so that you learn how to protect yourself, if ever in a bad situation." My dad said.

"But I don't want to be a guardian!"

"Nobody is going to force you to be a guardian." My mother reasoned. "It's either going to St. Vladimir's or going to a trade school in Germany. What's it going to be?"

"I want to stay here! I have a life here!"

"Oh. Almost forgot. Matt, Heather, and Kayla."

"And they agree to this?"

"Yes, they do, actually. They _want _to go."

My outlook of going to that damned academy had changed when I heard Matt was going. It was going to be one hell of a year.

"Sweetheart, I attended that school and it wasn't bad."

"Dad, you only were there because of my mom. You chased after here and you did whatever you wanted."

My mom laughed quietly. "It's not so bad."

"Kayla, is going, right? You know she's like my best friend/sister."

"Your Aunt Jade can't deal with that girl anymore so yeah she's sending her there."

I stayed quiet for a couple of seconds. And then looked up at my parents. "As long as Kayla and Matt are there, I'm going."

My mom put her arms around me. "I love you, sweetheart."

"If you loved me, you wouldn't be sending me to hell." I whined in her arms.

"We do love you, Maya. You can't understand a father's or mother's love until you are a father or mother yourself." My dad put in.

I let go of my mom. "Well, I gotta go find Kyle."

"Kyle's still at the party."

"Shit . . . Well, I gotta go talk to Cade."

"Cade is out. Dante is the only one in the house."

"Oh well, I'm going to grab a shower," I said, making my dad and my mom laugh.

I noticed Matt was still sleeping. Hmm . . . what if I sneaked him into my bedroom? I walked over to him and started shaking him softly. "Matt. Matt." I whispered in his ear, kissing his face tenderly.

He was awake instantly. "Maya, is something wrong?"

"No. Hurry! Let's go to my bedroom! We need to talk."

We both ran up the stairs. My room was the nearest to the staircase. But Dante was in the hallway.

"Where are you going?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Go get laid Dante . . ."

My brother was eighteen years old, looked bad and was badass, toned abs, body built with muscle, and a tattoo on his arm.

"I got laid last night, wasn't the best experience."

"Look, brother. I am quite upset at you right now. I don't want to deal with you at this moment."

He crossed his arms across his chest. "He can go in that room as long as you come out of it."

"Oh, yeah. I'm going to let him stay in _my _room 'cause you're so nice and are going to let me sleep in your room." I completely ignored him and led Matt into my bedroom. "Where's Kyle when I need him?"

"I'm serious Maya, don't go into the room with him."

"Are you going to tell mommy and daddy? Besides, if you're worried about him touching me and all that crap, you should worry no more because he touched me _everywhere _earlier today. No if you please excuse us, he has some more touching to do." I went inside my bed and shut the door in his face.

Matt was laughing as I joined him on the bed.

"What's so funny?" I asked.

"You and Dante. Always insulting one another. Yet if one or the other was in trouble you would risk your neck for him."

"Yes, I would. He's my brother. I love him. I love my family."

He rolled over on the bed, putting me under him. "And I love you . . ."

I was shocked as his lips took mine over. This was the first time he had said those three magical words. I didn't know what to say. The reasonable thing to do was say those three words back, but I couldn't because I wasn't ready for that _commitment. _

Things started heating up and I knew I had to stop them, simply because my parents were in the house.

"We can't." I whispered to him as he started to undo the zipper of my dress. "My parents are in the house."

"I'm sorry . . ." He rolled back onto his back. "I don't want your parents' respect for me fade . . ."

"My parents love you, you know that."

"That's why I have to respect their rules."

We stayed silent for a couple of seconds. And then I asked him about going to St. Vladimir's.

"I'm only going because my mom told me you were going." He answered.

"Kayla and you and me together at that school is not a good idea. They are going to regret enrolling us there."

"Kayla is the only crazy one . . ."

"Just like her mom." Matt chuckled. "Seriously, my mom was telling me that Kayla is exactly like Aunt Jade in every way."

I yawned, stretching very muscle in my body. It was getting late and I was tired. "How about we sleep?"

"Mhm . . ." He said. He was sleepy too. He put an arm around me and pulled me close. "Sweet dreams, my sweet."

"Mmm . . ." Like I always, I was out as soon as I closed my eyes.

**A week later . . .**

I popped out my ear buds out of my ears as we landed in Montana. This was it. Hell. (St. Vladimir's Academy.) Both of my parents were accompanying us because it hurt them to let their babies go. Well, why were they sending us here, anyway? Oh, right. Because my _favorite _brother _Dante_ wanted to become a guardian and wanted to drag all of us to hell. He should just go shoot himself already.

I shot a glance at Kyle and he gave me an encouraging smile. I smiled back. With my best brother in the whole wide world here, everything was going to be fine. Well . . . I hoped. When the plane doors opened from the dad's private plane, I grabbed my LV bag and started following Kyle out.

The world was different in Montana than in Nevada. For one, Nevada was never cold, well, the part from Nevada where we came from, was never really cold. Montana was freezing. No wonder mom had made us dress in winter clothes. I wore black slacks, a black tunic, black winter boots, and a white coat that went all the way down to my knees. I was still freezing, though. I wish I would have taken my mother's advice and brought the huge, puffy jacket that I had never used.

Zara and I looked at each other. She had a look of disbelief in her eyes. My darling little sister, we are going to have to get used to this because _Dante _wanted us to be here. Let's kill him! She rolled and smiled as if she were reading my thoughts.

As I started walking, my dad came up to me. He threw an arm around my waist. "This can't compare to the beautiful Nevada, can it?"

"Um . . . Nevada is awesome, but _nothing _can beat the beautiful suns California has to offer."

"Oh. So _now _you want to move to California."

I looked at him with pleading eyes. "Daddy, please get me out of this mess."

He smirked. "My darling, I love you, but your mother wants you to be safe here, and I agree with her."

"Daddy, don't do this to me. You said yourself that a father would do anything for his daughter. Do this for me! Get me out of here!"

"Sweetheart, I am so sorry. I have something for you. I know it will make you happy." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He smoothly slipped out three credit cards. "For you, my dear. These cards have no limit, unlike your old ones."

I smiled my kind of smile, my evil kind of smile. I leaned over and kissed my dad on the cheek. I had inherited his height and therefore, I was almost as tall as him. "Thanks, daddy. I am liking this school already."

"Of course you do . . ." He tightened the arm around me. "I never go to this, but what were you and Matt doing in your room the other night? Your mother and I heard a lot of weird noises." He was teasing me and I knew it.

"Hmm . . . what did you and mom have to do to make us?" I asked, smirking at him.

My dad was so easy-going and pretty much took nothing serious. "Good god, I thought you were barely learning how to play with dolls, not learning how to play with—"

"Dad," I groaned out, rolling my eyes. "You know dolls were never my thing."

"You know I love you, right, sweetheart?"

"Yes. Do you know I love you, too?"

"Of course, my darling. I am going to miss you a lot."

"We're just a few hours away . . . you better come visit often."

"We will. You know it. Your mother and I will get lonely."

"Have another baby and you won't be so lonely anymore." I said, jokingly.

"You know, your mother and I have been considering having another one." He said, quite seriously.

I blinked. "You're kidding, right?"

"No. Your mother's biological clock is just about to stop ticking. She said we better make the best of it."

"Oh, God. . ." I whispered, quite horrified.

Just then, my dad burst out laughing. "I am just kidding, darling. Your mother swore she would throw me off a cliff if I got her pregnant at this age."

"You had me scared. If you really want a kid, tell Zara to make you guys grandparents already."

That's when my dad looked horrified. "She's only fifteen."

It was my turn to laugh. "I'm just playing. Tell Dante, he's, like, forty years old already. Time for him to have a kid."

We stopped when we reached a hallway. My mom spoke up. "Adrian, you go with the guys. I'll go with the girls."

I hugged my daddy before I followed my mother.

"I think I am going to go crazy, if don't ever see the sun."

"The people here run on a nocturnal schedule. Good luck, seeing the sun." My mom commented.

She led us around the Academy, pointing out to places and crap like that. She told us that nothing really had changed and the she wished she could go back to those days when it was her, my dad, Aunt Jade, Aunt Lissa, and Uncle Christian attending the school. I laughed as she told me and Zara one of her memories. As we walked down the hallways, there was as guardian that was titled _Hall of Legends. _Apparently the most badass guardians had a plaque and a picture in the hallway. I was surprised when my mother stopped and put her hand on a plaque that read the name _Dimitri Belikov _on the bottom. She seemed to be taken back to some time ago.

"Mom?" I put my hand on her shoulder. "Who is that?"

She sighed, coming back to life. "An old friend."

I could see she didn't want to tell me about it so I didn't ask. Zara was surprisingly quiet throughout it all. Hmm. Odd.

"Do we seriously have to share rooms with people we don't know?"

My mom shook her head. "No. Your dad paid good amounts of money to get all of his kids rooms that they didn't have to share with anyone."

"Hell yeah, I love my daddy."

My mom helped Zara set up her room first than she helped me. Zara's room was just across from mine, which I am sure my dad's money had contributed to that. It was such a nice moment, being with my mother. I was going to miss her a lot. I would miss her smiles when she knew I had done something wrong. I would my dad, too. When we were unpacking the last of things, she found the picture I had brought along with me. It was a picture of her and my dad, holding me right after I had been born. I saw a few tears slip out of her eyes.

"Aww . . . where does the time go?"

"Mom, I honestly don't know. It feels like it was just yesterday that I was throwing fish sticks at Zara and now I'm here, attending the very same school the you attended."

She chuckled, but then she started crying again. I threw my arms around her. "I'm going to miss you, honey."

All I said was "I love you, mom."

A few minutes later, she pulled away. "No matter what you do, my Maya, I want you to be safe, okay? If you ever need anything, just call me or dad, got it?"

I threw my arms around her again. This time it was me who was crying. "I am going to miss troubling you."

She laughed softly, wiping a few tears away from her eyes. "I am going to miss that, too."

Zara, along with my dad and all my brothers met downstairs where Aunt Jade and Uncle Jon were parting with their kids as well. I went to go find my daddy and hugged him. I didn't want to let go. "Love you, my darling."

After our parents were gone, everyone went their separate ways. Matt came up to me. Aunt Lissa nor Uncle Christian hadn't come.

"So . . . what do we do now?" Kayla walked behind Matt and repeated the question. She answered her own question as well as Matt's. "We have fun . . ." Her eyes gleamed at the word fun.

"We have fun . . ." Matt agreed. "It's going to be one hell of a year."

"Yes, it is . . ." I said at last.

**Sorry. Not much action happening in this chapter. Hope you liked! What should happen next? . . .**

**-Mel **


	40. 4 The Brother and the Sister

**Anyways, just wanted to let you know that my mom is canceling my broadband :( because she got me an awesome phone! It's so beautiful and shiny and . . . you love it when it's in your hands. *kisses Droid X* . . . so I only have like a month to finish ALL my stories which sucks ass. I have a month to fucking finish my online class! God dammit! I think I might die! A month is short! Of course, I will be able to update now and then, but you just have to be patient and bear with me. No, I am not forgetting all my stories! I promise I will have all of them done before the month is over. I don't know how I am going to do it but I am going to try! If anyone wants to help I will appreciate any help! Thanks a billion! Not much action happening in this chapter! But please review! I love reading reviews, especially all the long ones!  
-Mel**

"Maya?" Zara asked, looking up from the dinner table. It had been a few hours since our parents dropped us off and left us like abandoned dogs. We were dining in the commons of Hell (the Academy) and we were eating fish sticks and fries. I brought back a billion memories as I shoved a stick in my mouth.

I looked over at my sister. She was the only one who was never away from home for so long. My mother had sent us, the twins, Dante, and me to Europe to go visit our grandparents, her parents, Janine and Abe. Zara was the only one who had stayed home, which sucked for her because my granddaddy Abe was a rich one and let us do whatever the hell it was we wanted to do and he bought us anything that month.

"What's wrong, hon?"

When Kyle noticed Zara's he dropped his food and immediately scooted over and put his arm around her. I looked around the room to see if Kayla was anywhere in sight. Only she knew how to cheer up Zara because they were both somewhat girly-girls, which was so not my thing, well it was but it was more _their _thing.

"Lil' sis, don't be sad."

Zara smiled a little. "I'm not sad. I just miss home."

Okay, Kyle had never been so brotherly with Zara. It was usually Kyle/Me and Cade/Zara, only Dante was out of the picture because he was usually bonding with every girl that would open her legs form him. God, he was so disgusting.

Kyle stood up and took Zara outside.

**Kyle**

I looked down at my little sister. Where was Cade when we needed him?

"Do you want to go with Cade?" I asked her, putting my arm around her.

"Yeah."

"Alright, let's go find that gangster."

"He's not a gangster." Zara argued.

"Figure of speech, lil' sis. You prefer I call him 'Emo?'"

As an older brother to her, it was my responsibly to make her smile.

"On second hand, gangster sounds better than Emo, not that there is anything wrong with that."

I saw Cade walking with Dante and I called out to him.

"Cade! Bro!"

He turned around and when he noticed Zara looking a little sad, he ran over. He hugged Zara. "What's wrong, Zee?"

"Homesick . . ." I coughed out.

Cade gave me a weird look. "Come on, Zara. Dante and I are going to train. I think Kayla is gonna be there."

She went with him willingly.

I walked back to where my favorite sister Maya was.

"Are you Kyle Ivashkov?" A girl with icy blue eyes that looked startling familiar asked.

"Who wants to know?" I asked her a deep voice, checking her out. She looked familiar but at the same time, she didn't.

"I'm Malese Rinaldi. Your mom and my mom are good friends—er, were good friends until your mom found out about my dad and her."

I gave her a blank look. "Eh, what? Your dad, who is it?"

"I'm not supposed to say . . . Christian Ozera."

I thought you weren't supposed to say anything, little darling. "Oh. That man is seriously messed up in the mind. Two kids with one lady, two kids with another, and now one kid with Mia Rinaldi? Wow, interesting. If I have learned one thing about life it is not to be a player."

Suddenly, those blue eyes became interested. "You don't look like a player."

"I don't believe in playing woman." I told her earnestly earning myself a smile.

"I like that. Guys like you are so rare nowadays."

"Yes, I am one of a kind."

"I like that even more . . ."

The smile she gave me made me feel something I had never felt before in my life. For one, all I could do was stare into her eyes and smile like a dumbass, according to Maya. But it was better than to stare at her boobs, right? Dante would have done something like that. My mother had said that Dante was like his father when Adrian was single, always getting in every kind of situation with girls.

"Are you new here?" I asked her because I really didn't have anything else to say.

"No, I've been here most of my life. My mother isn't really motherly. My brother and me have been here ever since _I _was five; he was twelve at that time."

"Wait . . . is your brother the son of _your _dad?" It would lack of ethnicity if Christian had six children, all from different moms. I wondered if Maya knew about this?

"No. Tony is only a half-brother. His dad took my mother by force and he was created. He's also a guardian."

"What a bastard?"

"Tony?" She looked shocked.

"No, no. His dad—taking your mother by force. No woman deserves that, no matter how mean and evil they are."

"You know, I really like you. You _understand._" She blushed at having to say her emotions out loud, it seemed.

"I like you, too." I told her. I wasn't one of those guys that kept his emotions in check. Hell, I liked to tell the world how the fuck I was feeling.

I heard footsteps behind me, as if the person was hesitant to approach. Only one person would do that. I turned around to find Maya wearing a look of hesitance on her face. She didn't know whether to walk closer or walk away.

"Maya? Come over here."

Malese, although she kept a straight face, there was sadness in her eyes. "Oh, is that your girlfriend?"

"Maya?! The evil bitch?" I chuckled. My sister gave me a dark look and I wrapped an arm around her to calm her. I didn't want to get my ass handed to me in front of a girl I found interesting. "Malese, this is my sister Maya. Maya, Malese." I mentioned from Maya to Malese.

"It's very nice to meet you, Maya," Malese sincerely told Maya. "You are very pretty."

The smile that Maya had inherited from our beautiful mother appeared on her face. "Nice to meet you, too. Thank you so much. How is your mother?"

Malese turned sad. Al I wanted to do was comfort her. As it was, I put a hand on her shoulder. I saw Maya smile from the corner of my eye. "I don't know where she is. Haven't talked to her in five years."

Wow, it sounded like grandma and mom when my mother was growing up. According to my mother, Grandma Janine was never really around that's why my mother had decided to get married and raise her kids so that she could fill in for the time that she lost with her mother.

Maya was just as understanding as I was understanding. "I can't imagine what I'd do without my mom. I'm sorry."

Malese smiled. "It's okay. My oldest sister—"

My stupid mouth had to speak without it wanting to. "Damn, how many kids did your mother have?"

Both Maya and Malese chuckled. "It's just three; Tony, Diane, and me."

"I'm sorry. That was rude." To make up for my rude comment, I gave her a compliment. "You know, you're really cute." I saw Maya struggling not to crack a smile.

Malese blushed the darkest shade of rude. She looked pretty. No . . . a better word? She looked beautiful. She brought feelings in me that I hadn't know existed. Why was my heart pounding so fast? Why did I feel like I had butterflies in my stomach? And last, why was I acting so _unmanly_?

I had an odd flash black of when my father had told me of when he met my mother. He had said meeting my mother was like an eclipse to his heart. And he also told me the stories about the visions him and mom used to share.

"_Your mother and I are Spirit-Mates, soulmates, whatever you want to call it. We belong together." _

"_How do you know when you belong with someone?" I asked. _

"_When there is silence, it's not uncomfortable. When they smile, you smile back. When you know you can't live another moment without them. Many things make you realize you belong with someone. But you'll _know,_ like I _know _I belong with your mother . . ." _

_At the time, I hadn't know what he meat, but now I did. _

I cleared my throat, trying to act a little manlier than I was. "So, baby, when do you want to come over for pizza and sex?"

She gave me a blank look.

"What? You don't like pizza?" I asked her teasingly.

She shook her head, rolling her eyes. She turned towards Maya. "I'm sorry, but I have to get going. Talk to you later."

Maya smiled as Malese walked away, but when she was out of sight, the smile faded. "Dante, slap yourself."

"My name is _Kyle._"

"You might as well be called _Dante _because only he would say something as stupid as that. So slap yourself Dante."

I stared longingly at where Malese had stood.

"Slap yourself!" Maya did it for me. "You don't say those things to girls! I have taught you better! God, where are the fish sticks when I need them? Now all I have to throw at you is four inch heels; I want to torture you, not kill you."

I put my hands up in a surrender. "God! Okay! I know I screwed up the situation. Help me unscrew it."

Maya sighed. "Go apologize and ask her out."

"May-blossom? Where art thou?"

"May-blossom, what the fuck? Can you be any more gayish, Matt?"

"Hey, baby." He kissed Maya on the cheek. "It was either May-blossom or May-beetle, which do you prefer?"

"Neither, call me something prettier like, _Rose._" I could tell she was really annoyed. Not even Matt could take away that annoyance. Damn, I really had screwed up. "What the hell do you want, anyways, Matt?"

"I wanted to see your beautiful face, my May-blossom."

"Jeez, don't call me that, _gay-bird_." She said, using the same sweet tone he was using on her.

"Alright, Maya, not cool. If you didn't want to see me, you could have just said and I would have gone away."

"I don't want to see you right now and maybe possibly never! Get out of my life, okay!?"

"May, what did I do to you to make you as mad as you are?"

"Nothing! I just want to be alone!" She started to get impatient as she looked at Matt standing there. "Leave!"

"I will. It's over. And I don't want you to come back, asking me to take you back!"

Maya threw the crystal heart Matt had given her on her birthday. It shattered in pieces.

"I thought you said that wasn't replaceable." Matt said, anger still very obvious in his throat.

"You're not getting my point! It is replaceable . . . everything is replaceable. Even you! Just like you dumped my ass, I can get another man to replace you in my life. Easy as that." She stalked off, leaving the broken heart on the ground. I was sure Matt's heart was just as broken as the heart on the ground.

I looked at Matt apologetically before going after Maya. "I'm sorry!"

I caught up to Maya real quick. She wasn't really athletic.

I tugged on her arm. "What was that?"

She spread out her arms. "It's the open world! I can have anyone I want, any guy." Why was she happy about this?

"But you will never find someone like Matt."

She got mad and threw me against the wall. "You would do the same if the person you loved cheated on you."

Now I understood why she was mad. "He cheated on you?! Fuck no. No one messes with my sister Maya!"

She smiled, all cool about it. "It's okay. I got it under control. My brilliantly evil mind has it under control. I don't need him anymore."

"Damn, just tell me if you need help."

"Thanks, Kyle; you're the best brother in the world." She looked behind me and laughed. "Oh, God. Look at that."

I had to laugh as well. It was a picture of mom and dad, both sitting in a formal event, dressed in black. Mom looked happily into the eyes of my dad, while my dad stroked my mom's cheek and looked into her eyes as well. They both looked so happy and in love. They were so young in that picture, my mother was probably seventeen and my dad was probably twenty-one. A long time ago.

"Now that's real love." Kayla commented, coming up behind me.

"Kayla . . . you are so creepy." I told her without turning buck.

"Kyle?"

"Yes, darling?" Kayla had been the first girl I had ever slept with. She was only a few months older than I was.

"Go suck my toe . . ." She told me cheerfully. Then, she burst out laughing. "Oh, God! That's hilarious! Look at my mother!"

Maya gasped. "Goodness, my mother was right. You look so much like your mother!"

"Well, duh! She's my mom of course I have to look like her!" She tapped Maya on the head with her knuckles. Then she turned towards me. "_You _and your mother look identical.

"I'm damn beautiful, then." I said, feeling a little proud because I looked like my mother. She was beautiful that was the truth.

Out of nowhere Kayla started clapping. "I saw the whole breaking up scene! It was awesome!"

Maya laughed. "I know. I didn't take theater for one year for nothing."

"So when are we going to get new men?"

Oh. So May and Kay wanted new men. That's why all the drama.

I turned away and my eyes met beautiful blue ones.

I looked back at Maya and she nodded towards Malese's way.

I started my way to the girl I wanted . . .

She was my girl now.

**Liked it? Hated it? Please review!**


	41. 5 Guardian Lewis

**Well, thanks for the awesome reviews! I so do hope that you like this chapter. It was written in between classes and cheating off someone's test. (Haha) Anyways, people have been complaining why I broke up Matt/Maya. Here is the answer: When I write about romance between Maya and Matt, I feel like I am writing about Christian and Rose . . . and that scares me. But who knows, Maya **_**might **_**stay with Matt, so be hopeful. I think the last part is very cute. Well, hope you enjoy the chapter :)**

**I don't own Vampire Academy . . . **

"Kayla," I said, using my reasoning voice. I was trying to convince Kayla not to ask out anybody for me. "I don't need anyone right now. It's a whole lot better being single."

Kayla shrugged. "Fine then. Want to know something? Your sister is more fun than you are."

"Zara is not here anymore." I pointed out.

"I know that. Where did your parents send her off anyway?"

"To the Modeling Academy. It's better than Hell, that's all I can tell you."

"For what? Hmm . . . do you think I would do good in the Modeling Academy?"

Everybody knew she would. Kayla was always on top of new fashion trends as opposed to me who wore whatever was clean off the ground.

"Yes, Kayla, we all know you would do well in."

"Great . . . now help me convince my mother to send me there." She paused. "Why did you break up with Matt, anyway? I know he cheated on you but could have just cheated on him, too and call it even."

I gave her a speculative look. "You know, sometimes I wonder if there is a brain in that small head."

"Half the time I wonder the same thing . . ." She muttered, making me crack up. "No. Seriously. Who did Matt cheat on you with?"

"Stephanie Zelkos. I saw him kissing her quite intimately yesterday. I didn't say anything, no; I am not one of those girls that would make a scene. Of course not; I am one of those girls that will speculate, quite evilly for her chance to get payback."

Kayla look mesmerized. "Oh, Maya . . . you're evil and awesome"

"Evilness . . . it runs in the family."

She chuckled. "Your dad or my mom aren't evil so where could you have gotten the evilness from?"

"Oh, I wasn't talking about the Tarus/Ivashkov side of me. I was talking about the Hathaway/Mazur side. My mom's part of the family is evil . . . thankfully, she passed down that gene to me."

"Sorry to interrupt. But check out that fine piece of ass over there." Kayla said, cramming her head to get a good look of a tall guy that was passing by at the moment. He had light blue eyes, dark brown hair like that guy in the picture my mother had been fretting over. He noticed Kayla looking at him and he gave her a quick smile. And then he noticed me. A real smile for me, the kind of smile that last about a couple more seconds than usual. My heart beat faster. He was a guardian, that was obvious by the way he walked all formal and business-like. The guardian was probably years older than we were.

And then some miracle happened.

The sexy guardian came up to talk to us! We probably looked like little girls obsessing over their idol.

"Hello, ladies, I am Guardian Lewis. How are you today?"

"Yo, I'm Kayla. I'm definitely doing better. What a good scenery this is." She all but growled like a cat.

Of course she would go on ahead with flirting. My mother had taught me better. "Don't give the guy total power over you 'cause then he's gonna think you're easy" were here exact words. "And I'm Maya Ivashkov, pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine, Ms. Ivashkov."

"Oh, call me Maya; _Ms. Ivashkov _makes me feel old for some reason."

"I think the same. Call me Tony the name Guardian Lewis makes me feel all rusty."

I laughed at his choice of words. By now, Kayla had given up. She knew I had this guy under my command. I was never going to hook up with him ever because he was at least fifty years older than I was. Well, not fifty years—more like five. Still rusty for my newness, though.

I wanted to keep on talking with him but the stupid curfew bell rang!

"Kayla, Maya, I'll see you around. My night shift starts now." He nodded to both of us and left.

"Oh, God. He was sexy." Kayla commented as he turned the corner. "Hmm . . . why were you all formal and stuff?"

"Hasn't your mother ever told you to respect your elders?"

"He's like five years older than us. Why would you respect him when you can be—"

I stopped her words short. I didn't want to hear her sexual thoughts of him and her. No, not at all.

"Dude, seriously. I love you. But don't mess with guys that are older than you are. My advice to you."

"I know, I know. He looks like someone that I could break the rules for."

"You're gross." I said, giving her a departing hug. "I would _never _hook up with an guy that has a century on me."

"Not a century, dumbass. A decade." She chuckled.

"Oh, God. So you do have a brain in there, somewhere."

"It's miniscule, but it works for something." She gave me one of her bear-hugs.

"God, let me breathe . . ." I told her as her hold tightened on me.

She giggled. "I love you, my favorite cousin."

"Mhm . . . me too. Now, let me go."

She finally let me go and let me breathe. She started walking away and so did I.

"Oh, Maya?"

I turned my head around but continued walking. "Yeah?" I hope I didn't run into something. That would be majorly embarrassing.

"My advice to you: Never say never." And with that, she scuttled away, tossing a hand over some random guy's shoulder.

Back in my room, I pulled out my cell phone and noticed I had a missed call from Zara. We had been here for a week now and Mom and Dad had decided Zara would never make it here so they sent her to the Modeling Academy in New York. It had been several days since I talked to her and I missed her a lot.

I dialed her number while I took out a Twix out of my pocket. I got the stupid, annoying message you get when there is no signal. Shit . . . that meant I had to go outside where there was more signal. If I was going to sneak out, I better do it now and not later because then the guardians on patrol would be more strict. I looked around my hallway to see if anyone was around. I had inherited my mom's awesome ninja skills so I would be ready if anyone decided to sneak up on me and bust me. And, really, who cared if I got busted? The sooner I was out of this place, the better.

I was thankful I was dhampir because the dhampir dorms had less guardians surrounding it as opposed to Moroi who had like a million guardians surrounding the dorm. I checked my surroundings, assessing, looking to see if anyone was out here. I was wearing dark colors, so I couldn't blend in with the night (day for humans) as easily. The sun was just about to rise, but it was still dark out.

I ran to the forest, to the spot where my mother had showed me to when she and I were touring the academy. "I used to come here all the time when I wanted to be alone, to think. It's the best place that relates more to nature than any other place here on the academy." She had said. Somehow, my mother and I were very addicted to the calmness that nature offered. Nature brought out a soothing feeling, a feeling off belonging when you felt so detached from everything else in life, that nothing else on this planet could bring out in us.

I looked around again before I stepped into the forest. It was dark still, but morning was just a couple of minutes away. I knew I would be safe. No Strigoi would be lurking when the sun was about to come out unless they wanted to be fried. They sure would make a delicious meal for my starving stomach.

I chuckled at the boldness of my mind as I continued walking, following the path my mother had made when she was here, which had to have been like fifty years ago. She told me that on trees she had marked her initials, making a path so that she would always find her way back home, and later, when she met Dad, she added his initials to the carvings on the tree. I found my way easily. The last tree made me smile like a fool. It had my mom's initials with my dad's and heart around them. How cute.

I heard the soft music the running water made. I turned around and saw a small, small creek, with moss covering some rocks. Dark as it was, it was kind of hard to see whether the creek was deep or not. It would most likely be shallow, considering the size of the creek. As I looked around, I remembered the picture that hung in Dad's office. This was the place where Mom and him had taken a picture. He was sitting on a rock, Mom on his lap, and the water running over their feet. They were both happy and in love and young.

"_Love at first sight . . . that's how it was with your Dad and me" _I remembered her words clearly.

My phone beeped and I was surprised to see there _was _signal. Usually in the middle of nowhere, there shouldn't really be reception. I dialed Zara's number again and sure enough she answered after the first few rings.

"Maya!" Zara squealed when she heard my voice.

"What up, my bitch? How's the Modeling Academy."

"It's hard. We have a photo shoot in fifteen minutes so I have to hang up soon. All the girls are bitches." She sounded a little sad.

"Let's face it; all girls are bitches. Except me." That made her laugh. "That's why you hang out with guys—guys are less problematic."

"For once, I agree with you. I only have one faithful girlfriend and the rest of all my friends are all guys. Her name is Emily."

"Is she cool or what?"

"She's pretty cool, I guess."

"Oh, dude! I almost forgot."

"What?"

"Kyle has a girlfriend!"

"No way! When did that happen?"

"Just a few days after you left. You always miss the good stuff."

"Yes, I do! Dammit! Maya, love you, sis'. I have to. Stupid modeling instructor can freaking suck my toe."

I chuckled. "Take care, my dear. I miss you and love you too."

"Same here. Luv' ya'."

I sighed when she hung up. Without Zara, I was kind of homesick.

"So you found this place, too."

Startled, I turned around and saw Tony standing there. Shit, I was caught. Now he would probably drag me to Kirova's office and then I would get detention or something like that.

"Umm . . . am I in trouble?"

"The rules say to take in people who don't follow the rules. I don't follow the rules. So, no, you're not in trouble."

I smiled up at him. "Thanks."

"What are you doing here so late?"

"I needed to think. And make a phone call."

"Did you follow the A & R path?"

"The what?" I was confused now.

"The markings on the tree. Hmm . . . I thought I was the only one who knew about it, guess not."

"Oh, A & R path." I had to laugh. My mother and father had something named after them and it was a path, of all things.

"There are stories of that couple." Tony commented.

"Like what? What stories?"

"He was a Royal Moroi and she was a dhampir. And they didn't really care about what people said because they had each other . . . that they loved each other and needed each other more than life itself."

"The stories are true."

Tony gave me a sideways look. "How would you know?"

"Well, I am product of their love." I said, pointing myself. "Adrian Ivashkov and Rose Hathaway are my parents. They created the A & R path, I guess you could say." Without realizing I was speaking, I said, "My mother told me this is where love happen and strong love grows."

Tony turned to look at me completely. "That's pretty hardcore love." He snorted. "Do you believe in that?"

"I don't know . . . I never have fallen in love before . . ." I told him truthfully with a shrug of my shoulders.

Tony gave me a gaze that expressed millions of words; I just couldn't figure out the meaning of them. "Me neither . . ."

There was a silence from him and me where only you could hear the water running. We stared at each other and it was like time literally stopped.

Finally, he spoke. "But we don't know the future . . . maybe love can be right around the corner . . . "

"Maybe."

"We'll just have to see what happens . . ."

Tony gave me that look of a million words again.

_Love at first sight . . . _my mother had once said.

I knew what he meant now . . .

**Oh…Maya always caught up in romances. Hmm . . . what did you think of this chapter. Liked it? Hated it? Need your opinion! Thanks a million! And review for the next chapter! **

**-Mel**

**P.S. I want to thank you all for helping my story reach 500 reviews! You guys rock! **


	42. 6 Tragic Things Have to Happen

**Been having a bad week . . . so sorry if the chapter sucks. Not feeling so up to it. This chapter was originally to be all sappy and happy, but it went according to my mood. I didn't really feel like writing happy, when I wasn't happy myself. Anyways, won't bore you with my life depressions . . . I hope you like this chapter. I was realizing that the story didn't really have any action in it so I decided to add a little drama. The next chapter will contain much more drama than this one. Well, hope you like :)**

**I don't own Vampire Academy . . . **

The weeks had passed since we had arrived in Hell; today was exactly a month since our parents sent us here like unwanted dogs. Kyle and Malese were going along really well. Cade and Dante had finally gotten themselves positions to train with the best guardians on campus. Zara had recently won a contest of the prettiest smile.

And Kayla continued to crush one very guy that was cute; she had a huge crush on Tony, but she claimed that he was mine and she was never going to meet up to my beauty. I responded that she was just as beautiful as I was. She waved it away and told me that I could keep Tony and that good, hot action he might bring me. I had laughed, rolled my eyes and told her that Tony was like a billion years older than I was and a hook up between me and him would not be pleasant and never would happen because I didn't like him like in that way _and_ that my parents would never agree of that relationship—well not because he was dhampir but because of the age difference.

Tony . . .

Even though I swore to Kayla that I did not feel anything for Tony, I had some feelings for him. A small, small crush. A teeny, weenie crush on him. But that was it! Since every night I _loved _talking to Zara and the only place that really got reception was the A & R circle of love, (a name I had come up with) I spent most of my nights in the circle of love and Tony would meet me later. It became a habit for me, to have him close every night. We shared some of our most intimate thoughts and some of our darkest secrets, though secrets no longer because they had been shared to another person.

And just now, I was spending yet another night with Tony in the circle of love.

"The circle of love?" He questioned, chuckling softly, as we lounged on one of the rocks as the water ran around the bottom of it.

"Yes, a nickname I came up with today, actually."

"The circle of love?" He repeated again. "Why would you choose in a name like that?"

"Because my parents, according to my mom, fell more in love with each other in this very spot."

"Those are the key words: 'Fell _more _in love with each other.' They were already in love before they came in here."

"Which is why I call it 'circle of love' because it involves love."

"You are just too cute . . ."

I was thankful that it was somewhat dark in the circle of love because then he would have noticed my blush and it would have been not cool. Maya Ivashkov never really blushed when a guy said something sweet to her. Or rather, Maya Ivashkov never blushed when an antique man said something to sweet to her, was the right way to say it. _He's not that old . . . _my mind reasoned with me. _Mom and Dad are about five years apart. Two years extra won't make a difference. Besides, Age is just a number. When it comes to real love, those numbers that make up your age, don't matter. _

But this wasn't real love, nor would it ever be.

"You're blushing." He said, reaching over and _almost _touching my cheek. He looked like he really, badly, wanted to caress my cheek. He was a guardian after all, and emotions in check were what they had to keep. "Why would be the cause of that blush? I don't presume it would be my comment of you being cute because I am sure other guys say those things to you all the time."

You aren't like other guys, I wanted to say, you're very unlike other guys, actually. If you were someone I could spend my whole life with, I would do it.

_Maya Ivashkov-Hathaway! What are you saying!? _

"Yes, guys say those things to me all the time, but never in the way you say them. Other guys say 'You're damn sexy, baby girl' or something like that. Those guys never sweeten up their words a little like you do."

He smiled quite gorgeously. "First I was a badass guardian, now I am a sweetheart?"

"Hmm . . . how about this? You're a sweet-ass guardian?"

"I like that." He held my gaze a little longer than normal. I had an urge to look away, but I didn't. "Has anyone ever told you, you have some sexy green eyes?"

"I was voted 'Sexy Eyes' in middle school. This is the only trait I have from my dad. He has emerald green eyes, mine are just like his, just a tad bit darker."

"Well, they are quite sexy. I would love to gaze all night into them." He changed the subject quickly, shaking himself. He was probably seconds away from slapping himself. "How—how did your parents do it?"

I smiled cheekily. "I don't like talking about my parents sex life . . ."

He only smiled at my comment and continued to ask the question. "How did your parents go through it all?"

"What do you mean?" I asked curiously.

"Well, your dad was a royal that probably should have been married off to another royal and your mother was a guardian that should have been assigned to someone important. How did they do it? How did they ignore all the rumors, the stares . . . it must have been a hard relationship?"

I shook my head. My mother had once told me about this. "Not at all. My dad comes from a family that literally doesn't care what the hell happens, well his mom, Gammy Daniella does, but his father, Mr. Ivashkov, never really cared what the hell happened. As long as the money kept on coming, Mr. Ivashkov was happy. And my mother was always on her own, she didn't care about anything, really. If she had something to say, she said it. And when people started talking about my Dad and my mom, they pretty much told the world that they didn't care about what the hell they thought or said."

"Wow . . . I still can't understand how they went on with it."

"They loved each other. That's the power and magic of love." I stated simply. I stared off into the distance as I asked him a question of my own. "What about your parents? I spend hours talking about mine and never from yours. Tell me about your parents? To start with, who are they?"

"Mia Rinaldi, never the motherly type and . . . I really didn't know my father. He and I never had the best relationship. The daughter of a badass guardian killed my father."

"I'm sorry?" I really didn't know what else to say.

"Want to know who killed him?" He didn't sound sad in the least.

"Sure . . ."

"Guardian Hathaway . . ." He gave me an expectant look.

"Daughter of a badass guardian . . ." I repeated to myself. Then it clicked. "My mom killed your dad? What the hell? How?"

"She staked him . . . I'm glad she did. He wanted to kill her. I felt relieved when I heard he had died."

"Why? No matter how horrible of a person he was . . . why were you happy?"

"He raped my mom. Took her by force."

"What a monster? What was his name?"

"Dimitri Belikov . . ."

Dimitri Belikov. I had heard that name before. I just didn't remember where. Oh. All over Hell, there were pictures of him and his name of how he made a difference to the world and crap like that. I wondered when my mother had killed him, Dimitri Belikov.

"Let's not get all depressing with this talk." He said, trying to change the subject quickly. I could see the kindling-anger, fading in his eyes.

I was too shocked. "I never knew . . . I'm sorry."

"It's alright," he said with a shrug of his shoulders. "He isn't something worth missing. Yeah, he gave me life, but that's it."

He changed this subject again and this time I followed his talk. "I honestly don't know," I answered truthfully when he asked me what I wanted to do as a career for later in my life. "I'm still not decided."

"Don't rush it, you don't want to spend the rest of your life doing something every day that you don't really like."

"I know what you mean. I want to be like my dad. Sit in an office all day, being lazy, and making millions." Yeah, that sure was the best job out there. But my parents wouldn't be _thrilled _if I told them that that's what I wanted to do later in life. My parents wanted me to take my something out of myself. Like Zara was probably going to be Miss America or something closely related to that. Kyle and Cade were probably going to be professional soccer players. And Dante was going to be a guardian. Me? I honestly did not know what I wanted to do in life.

"I don't know," I repeated yet again, "I'll probably end up being a stay-at-home mom with, like, ten kids to take care of."

"I could see you with ten kids," he said as he laughed. Then, all of a sudden, he turned serious. "That's why you have to love someone who can give you a life, who can _create _a life with you." He seemed to express something in his eyes.

His point couldn't have been more clearer. _Don't fall in love with me because I can't give you a life, much less _give _life to someone. _

"It does not matter if we can't make a life together! I love you." My jaw dropped—my mouth had spoken words that weren't meant to be said.

_Nice, Ivashkov, real nice. I thought you had told Kayla that you didn't like Tony in that way . . . _

I turned my face away from him, not wanting him to see the shame on my face.

"I'm sorry . . ." He whispered. "I shouldn't have let this gone so far. You should have never fallen in love with me. It was a mistake."

I stayed quiet and still did not look at him.

"Whether or not it was a mistake, you can't—we can't reverse our emotions, no matter how hard you try there will always be a little voice in your head saying 'that's the person you used to love.'"

Silence from me yet again.

Tears formed in my eyes.

"Maya, talk to me." He pleaded.

"I've never felt like this before." I told him honestly, not looking at him or towards him, as the tears threatened to spill out of my eyes. This _wasn't _supposed to happen. And here I was, half-crying over the guy that I strictly said that I would _never _fall in love with. I went from thinking it was a small crush, to it being this whole ridiculous feeling of _love_, something I really never vowed to feel after I broke up with Matt.

This was not supposed to happen.

But it was . . .

None of us knew what to say next so I was thankful when my phone started ringing. I read _Cade _across the screen. It must have been urgent for Cade to call me because he never called me unless it was really urgent.

"Cade?" I asked, when I heard him sniffling in the background. Cade _never _cried. The only time he ever really cried was when he ran over his own dog with a golf cart.

"Maya . . . I don't know how to tell you this."

It was like he didn't want to tell me or he was scared to tell me or something.

I stood up, demanding to know what was happening.

Cade was crying.

It was bad.

"Tell me, Cade!"

"It's Kyle . . ."

I felt all the blood drain out of me, my breath hitching. Kyle . . . something was wrong with him. "What's wrong with Kyle?!" I was scared.

Tony put a calming hand on my shoulder. I was too freaked out to be calmed.

"Kyle . . . he's dying."

**Tell me . . . what do you think happened to Kyle? Liked it? Hated it? **

**-Mel**


	43. 7 The News

**I am so very thankful/grateful to **_**Lauren Rose Ivashkov**_** for writing all this chapter for me! She literally saved my ass. I only have a few more weeks till my broadband gets canceled and I am working really hard on this story. And sorry if everything seems so rushed. This story was going to be 30 chapters but since I am going to get my internet taken away soon, I had to cut it short to 20 chapters. Again, I am VERY thankful to Lauren. She's the best. All the credit goes to her. And thank you all for your amazing reviews! **

**I don't own Vampire Academy . . . **

"No!" I yelled feeling like my heart just stopped beating.

The phone slipped right out of my shaky hands as the tears fell down.

The world exploded. Kyle was my best friend, my brother forever, was dying. I just went crazy, screaming out his name. Tony picked up the phone and started talking with Cade; reasoning with him, asking to know what happened and why was I so freaked out. I stole the phone away from Tony, not caring about anything.

"Where is Kyle?"

"We're here with him in the hospital. Tony knows where, he can take you there."

"Is he going to be okay?"

"Maya . . . I'm not going to lie to you. Nobody knows."

I threw my phone on the ground not caring about anything but Kyle.

I was shaking, from shock, from the cold, from the hate that something was wrong with Kyle. I was angry at him; he couldn't leave me, he just couldn't. I needed him, and he needed me. Numbly, I got up and walked through the woods, Ton directing me, but I didn't pay any attention to him; I just needed to be with my brother. I was sure I had a frown on my face as I stumbled through the woods, barely glancing at the path we were on, the one my parents had created. I tripped and Tony caught hold of my arm and held me up.

"Careful," he mumbled, then immediately let go, like had some type of deadly disease or something. Then I thought, oh God, what if that's what Kyle has. We walked in an uncomfortable silence, not speaking, as he guided me to his car. He put his hand to my back and I sank into his touch, but he pulled away too soon. I sighed internally as he then opened his car door. I sank into the seat and closed my eyes, all my thought's pointing in one direction.

Kyle.

Tony didn't exactly break any speed barriers getting to the hospital, and it just made me even more angry. I wanted to last out at him and take the wheel myself, knowing would we get there in less than half the time it would take him to drive. He kept glancing at me, which made me squirm in my seat. I looked at him through the corner of my eyes, and he was staring at me again.

"Look . . . Maya . . . "

"I know what you're going to say . . ." I started to say.

"No, You don't!" his voice was like steel, hard and cold. I looked at him again and he had his guardian mask on. Great, one dose of discipline that I didn't need right now coming up. "I know you understand that we can't be together, but you don't understand why. I'm a guardian!" he said, his grip on the wheel tightened, making his knuckles pale.

"I know," I said softly, not wanting to fuel his anger.

"I can't love you—_I won't_ love you." He seemed to be trying to convince himself of something than talking to me. "It's not only against Guardian rules, it's against my rules, because, deep down, I know I would rather save a Moroi then another dhampir, even one I could have loved, but that's the problem, of course it is; I don't love you." Kyle was dying and that had been like a stab of ice in my chest, but this was just as bad. "I was leading you on without thinking, a relationship between us couldn't work, and I wouldn't allow it to work. They come first. It's what we are told from day one when becoming a guardian, no matter what, the Moroi matter. I won't let myself fall for someone I have no future with; I just can't Maya, so get over it." Tony said, but I wasn't paying attention; I could barely hear him, so I just nodded. It took nearly forty five minutes to get to the hospital, and there was mom, waiting for us. Tony let go of the wheel and you could see the dents that were left from his temper.

I jumped out of the car and Tony followed. I moved faster than ever before, sprinting and then barreling into my mother. She caught me, and took a step back to brace herself, wrapping her arms around me; she probably caught sight of Tony because she stiffened.

I sniffed and wiped away the tears that had fallen over my cheeks, which had betrayed me. I tried to ask where Kyle was but the words wouldn't come out of my throat, they kept getting stuck and it sounded like I was choking. She nodded and looked into the waiting room through the see through doors.

After a minute, we walked in; Cade was there and in tears, his elbows on his knees, his face in his hands, his body shaking in silent sobs. I ran over to him, leaving my mother and collapsed on the floor near his chair, I rested my head on his knees and he held me, resting his head on top of mine. I sniffed and I felt a hand got to my shoulder.

Once I could get a coherent sentence together, it was the matter of speaking it. I took a deep breath and looked at my mom. Tony helped me up and then I looked at dad.

"So, what's happening?" I said, my voice was husky from all the crying and I'd done, I caught a glimpse of Tony's face and I saw the hurt across his face, just a flash, before the guardian mask was in place.

"We don't know yet, but he fainted and he had a terrible fever sweetheart, but it looks bad." Daddy said. I nodded, trying to hold myself together, but I just couldn't do it. A life without Kyle wouldn't be much of a life at all. And all my barriers came crashing down; I sank to the floor and Tony was there holding me. I turned and grasped at his shirt, crying.

He murmured soothing words, saying he'll be fine and other things to sooth me, as I felt my parents gazes bore into my back, they could tell something was going on. Then I saw my mother lead dad away, and then they were having a hushed argument. My mom kept glancing at us and I strained my ears to pick up their conversation. I caught bit's like, "despised," and "Not him, not on my watch" then "Dimitri's son" and finally, "he can go to hell". I didn't know whether she was on about Tony or Dimitri, but it was one of the two. I sighed and wiped my tears away. I caught daddy's gaze and he was shooting daggers at Tony. I was his little girl and the only man I was suppose to need was my father. Dad never was one to share, especially when it came down to his two princesses.

When I looked back at Tony, he was staring at me with only longing in his eyes.

"But you said …" I muttered, looking up to his face and seeing the pure trust and love in his eyes.

"I lied; I love you, Maya, I do, but you know as well as I do that we can't be together. I do. I love you so much it hurts. I had to be mean to you so you would be hurt enough to maybe hate me instead of love me, but I can't do it," he whispered back, dropping his head to hide it in my neck, while he left small kisses on the skin that was showing. I shivered as he did. I did the same and buried my face in his shoulder; he sighed and we lifted our head at the same time.

Tony helped me stand and I kept hold of him till my mother put her hand on my shoulder, she didn't like this anymore then dad did. I looked at her and she nodded down the hall way. I sniffled and turned, reluctantly letting go of Tony's shirt, which was now crumpled and wet from my tears, and the hand that was tangled with mine. I dragged the back of my hand across my face. When we got to the end of the hallway, my mother stopped and spun so she was facing me, then put both her hands on my face, forcing me to look her in the eyes.

"Maya, now promise me, there's nothing going on between you and Guardian Lewis?" she said sternly. I hated it when she talked to me like I was seven, not seventeen. I mean, it was like she couldn't trust me to tell her the truth on my own.

"Mom, there is nothing going on between me and Tony." My was voice flat and absent of any emotion.

"Are you sure? You better not be lying to me, Maya!" she said, her guardian mask slipping into place without her even knowing. She said she never wanted to be the kind of mother that her mother was. And here she was, yelling like only Grandma Janine would be yelling.

There wasn't anything really going on between and Tony and me so there wasn't really much to tell my mother. "Mother, I am only going to say this once, I don't like Tony. He's a friend, nothing more, nothing less. There is nothing, nothing! going on between Tony and me. And there is _never _going to be anything in between me and him." My face was a copy of hers, no emotions on my face or in my eyes; my voice was flat with little emotion, as if I were talking about a friend. And it killed me, but it was necessary.

"Good" was all she said and walked off. I looked around and dad was there, walking away from where Tony stood. My father and my mother both gave short, sharp nod's and I sighed in relief which wasn't long lived as the doctor came out of Kyle's room, looking remorseful. My heart literally shattered right there, no matter what, it wasn't good. Nothing would ever be good ever again.

"Mr. and Mrs. Ivashkov . . ." The doctor stared at Cade and me when we stood up. Only then I noticed Dante wasn't there, and did Zara even know? We held each other's hands and then looked at the doctor together. "Can we talk?" he asked. We all nodded. "Privately." Oh. He looked at me and my brother standing inches behind out parents.

They both nodded and walked off, following the doctor down the corridor. I let go of Cade and followed stealthily. Making no noise, Cade behind me, we silently followed mom and dad. I could see them walk into a room. Getting closer, I saw the door was about to shut, but I slowed it down to a stop, an inch away from the white wooden frame. I leaned in closer, making sure my shadow didn't cast into the office, and Cade was behind me. We listened but we only heard one tenth of what was said. But it was enough to know that Kyle was going to die. "Leukemia—he won't be able to respond to chemotherapy—disease is rapidly progressing—his days are counted here on Earth." I heard mom break down and I followed. Cade dragged me away knowing I could barely walk and then I was running, right into Tony's arms, he sat down with me on his lap.

I rested my head on his shoulder and he stroked my hair, saying comforting words in Romanian, which I knew because of dad; he'd made us take lessons when we were younger, since some of the family, distant relatives, he said lived in Romania. But it calmed me down as I threw a fit, screaming and pounding into Tony's chest. I was sure bruises would be there tomorrow, but he was used to getting rough. He rocked me gently and I slowly began to drop off. I couldn't have been asleep for long, because when I woke up, I was cranky and still groggy as my head resting on Tony's muscular thigh.

Mom was crouched down in front of me, lightly shaking my shoulder and softly running her hands through my hair. I blinked and sat up, then rubbed the sleep out of my eyes.

"The doctor said Kyle is awake, I'm going—"

"No, you're not! I'm going in first; he's my brother, and I'm going to see him before any of you!" I said stubbornly, my mother gave in and sat back on her heels then nodded. I got up and followed the nurse into the room.

"You have five minutes dear," she said softly then closed the door. Five minutes was better than no time at all. He looked so vulnerable when I sat on his bed, I couldn't help but cry. I flew into his arms, and rested my head on his chest. I was shaking from the crying and he rubbed my back.

"You can't die." I said, gripping his hand.

"Maya, I already know my fate; it's inevitable. I don't want to spend the rest of my days with people crying because I'm leaving; I want to spend the rest of my days with people smiling because I was here." _The rest of my days _. . . Kyle's words echoed in my ears. Of course, it brought out a billion more tears from my eyes.

"You can't leave me. I thought you would always have my back in everything." I sobbed like there was no tomorrow. It was then when Kyle lost it.

"Maya, I'll always have your back. From wherever I go, I'll be protecting you, no matter what." He put an arm around my shoulders. "I'm sorry, Maya. This is a nature that we just can't control. Even if I'm not with you in person, I'll always be there in spirit," he finished.

Why was he comforting me when it should have been the other way around? It just proved how weak I was. "The doctor said there wasn't anything we could do for you . . . and it kills me—_it kills me_—that I can't do anything about it."

Kyle sighed. "Dr. Ayala said that if I stayed here, that he could expand my life span by two months. I don't want to stay here. Why not go out into the world and live my life normally, like I always wanted to live it? Why should I stay here when I already know I'm going to die? Two months of life won't make a difference. I'm still dying anyway."

I wiped the tears away. "You're strong, Kyle. You'll pull through this no matter what." Even to me, the words sounded weak.

Kyle smiled for my sake, nonetheless. "You know that I know that you don't believe that . . ." I reached over and hugged him, very tightly. I didn't want to let him go. Ever. I felt if I let go of him I would lose him forever. How was I going to move on without my brother shadowing every step I made?

How was I going to survive, without dying myself?

The nurse then knocked on the door and pocked her head in. I nodded and gave Kyle one final hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"I had better go, mom wants to see you, and everyone else, and you're only allowed one at a time. But I'll come back tomorrow, I promise, and then we can talk more, okay?" I kissed his cheek and then got up. I walked out of the room. And Kyle called my name. I turned and looked at him.

"Maya, look out for Cade. I mean, Dante will be off being Dante and Zara isn't here to keep him company, and you're the only one I can trust to do that. Just keep an eye on him for me, please?" he said. I nodded, trying not to cry again, and gave him a forced smile. Then I walked out and Dante was standing there, looking a little sheepish.

"You bastard!" I yelled. Running at him and punching him in the chest, I pounded and he took it. "When I needed you, when we all needed you, you were out being a complete man whore!" I cried, pounding his chest till I finished and fell to the floor. Tony was there, and picked me up bridal style, then held me close to his chest. He sat us down again and soothed me.

"Shhh, Maya," he said quietly.

I rested my head on his shoulder.

But of course my mom would interrupt our moment of comfort.

"Maya?" She called out for me softly.

"Yeah, mom?"

"Your cousin is waiting for you outside. She said to go meet her."

I stood up, bringing Tony with me. My mom stared at our intertwined hands and went to go speculate to my dad. In that moment, I couldn't care less of what she thought or said about Tony and me being in a relationship.

It was getting chilly outside. The sun was just setting and it was dangerous to be outside without a guardian for Moroi. Tony noticed that I was shivering, took of his sweater and put it on me.

"But then you'll freeze to death . . ." I argued.

"I'll keep you close so that you can keep me warm," He said, stroking my cheek softly.

I saw Kayla running towards me, dragging Matt behind her.

"Maya," she said as she pulled me in for a hug. "How are you? I heard what had happened and I sneaked out. I just had to! How's Kyle?"

That brought out the sobbing again. "Kayla . . ." I gasped out. She put her arms around me again. "Kyle is going to die."

She tightened her hold on me. "Oh, my God . . ." I felt her shudder. She had taken this bad just like I had. Kyle was my brother but he had been a brother for her, too. "Your dad has all the money in the world . . . can't he do anything?"

"Money can't buy life." I told her firmly and a little sad.

"We should get inside." Tony told us as he looked around. It was really dark and he was the only guardian around at the moment. He couldn't protect everyone right now. He followed us inside, making sure everything was clear before going inside. Both of my parents, most of all my mother, was crying. They looked older than they actually were. They were worrying an awful lot. We all were.

They didn't even say anything as Tony and I walked together. They didn't care in this moment about anything, except Kyle.

My dad, being the voice of reason, walked up to me. He didn't wear that _she's my baby girl _look when he looked at Tony and me. My dad put a hand on my shoulder. "You two should go back to the academy and get some sleep. The doctor said he was going to release Kyle in a week or so."My mother had overheard what my dad was saying and she was walking up to us again. My dad looked Tony. "I trust that you will get my daughter safely back to the academy."

"You have my word, Mr. Ivashkov."

"Good, I trust you."

"Adrian—" My mother began.

"Rose, he's not going to hurt our daughter. I can see that. He's loves her." My father reasoned.

"Your words are fact, Mr. Ivashkov; I only want to make Maya happy," Tony said.

"I know." My dad said curtly.

I hugged both of my parents and they told me to get some sleep. "If anything . . ." I paused. "Keep me updated." I scanned myself to see if I had my phone on me. Oh, crap. I had broken it earlier.

My dad smiled. It was not the first phone I had broken. He pulled his out his pocket and handed it to me. "There you go, Maya. Love you, darling. Take care."

"You've saved me a lot today," I said to Tony.

"Somebody had to. It's the number one rule in life: Take care of the ones you love . . ." he answered me, holding me closer to his strong form.

**Aww…Tony and Maya. I love them now. . . **

**Take lots of care and be ready for the next chapter that's gonna be in Tony's POV . . . **

**Lots of love **

**-Mel**


	44. 8 The Innocence of Love

**Two updates today. I really, really need to finish this story! Thanks for reviewing! **

**I don't own Vampire Academy . . . **

**Tony . . . **

I faced the dead before but nothing was as scary as Maya's dad. I swear those green eyes were more intimidating than the red eyes of a Strigoi. But of course, I stayed with an emotionless face like I was taught as he told me not to be doing anything nasty with his daughter. He explained to me what would happen if I did.

"Ready to go back to the Academy?" I asked Maya, looking down at her.

She looked sadly towards the way Kyle's room was. I had never seen somebody experience so much pain. I didn't know how it felt to lose someone important in my life. Yeah, I had lost my father but he wasn't important, to be honest. My mother, if I lost her, it would be cool because she wasn't much a mother at all. My mentor had been more like a mother to me than my own mother had been.

"I don't want to leave. I feel that if I leave something's bad going to happen and I'm not going to be there for him." She looked down sadly, trying to hide the tears but I saw them slip off her face, even so.

All I wanted was to wrap my arms around her and hold very close. I did. I inhaled her beautiful scent that was a mixture of the sweetest fragrance of roses. Her mother should have named her Rose, instead of Maya. Rose would describe how beautiful Maya was, like a red rose that was just about finished blossoming.

"Oh, Maya." I had never been in this kind of situation so I didn't have the slightest of idea what to say. "It's going be alright" I wanted to tell her but she knew and I both knew it wasn't going to be alright. It was never going to be alright when your best brother died. "Would you rather stay here?"

She shook her head. "My dad said to go back to the Academy, I have to respect what he says or else I would have stayed here. I know Kyle's going to be alright, for now that is." Again, there was the tears. I wiped the tears away and led her to the SUV the Academy had let me borrow.

As I opened the door, I caught sight of her tired face. She really needed to get some sleep.

"You should let me drive. We'll be there in half the time," she joked.

"I do believe your dad said to keep you safe . . ."

"So . . ." she began. "What did you think of my parents?"

I looked straight at the road. "Well, your mom really doesn't like the idea of you and me." I saw her eyes when I said _you and me. _"Your dad seems a lot cooler, but a lot scarier. He's really overprotective of you."

"My mom, she only wants me to be safe, I guess you can say. She doesn't believe in dhampir/dhampir pairings. My dad, he understands. But recently he has turned into the new Abe Mazur."

"Abe Mazur? I heard stories of him. He's all for the illegal."

"He is. But yes, my dad has turned into the new Abe Mazur, well when it comes to his daughters. I remember one time my mother told me that her dad, Abe, told my dad what he would do if my dad hurt my mother in a very grotesque way."

"Kind of the same way your dad told me what he would do if I hurt his darling angel."

She laughed and I was pretty sure that was her first laugh in a long time. It felt kind of nice to hear her laugh and be distracted from the Kyle issue. She continued to laugh and smile and just had a nice conversation with me. It warmed my cold heart.

We didn't say anything when we arrived at the academy. I wanted to walk her to her, which was why we were walking that way.

"We're in public right now. They'll fire you if they catch you someone under age."

"I told you before, I don't follow the rules." We stopped where her dorm was. I wanted to take her all the way up to her room but I knew I couldn't. There were some rules that had to be followed as well as there were rules that could be broken. I leaned down and kissed her cheek. Kissing her in the lips was forbidden but that didn't mean I didn't want to do it. "Sleep well."

Her face turned sad again. "I'm not going to be able to sleep. Kyle would always stay on the phone with me until I fell asleep." She bit her lip, trying not cry again.

All I wanted to do was to comfort her. "You can come sleep in my room. Just sleep." I was very specific on the _just sleep _part.

"I wouldn't want you to get in trouble."

"I don't care about getting in trouble. I care about you feeling well. I'll watch over you while you sleep." I took her hand and scanned the area. "If nobody's around, we can make a run for my room."

I ran, dragging her along with me. I had been given a cabin out in the forest. I was thankful I had been given one of those because I could be alone with Maya, without any interruptions. No one bothered you out here. Well, only if there was an emergency. And there wasn't really a great chance that there'd be an emergency tonight.

The fire in the chimney was just about to die when we walked inside the cabin. The thing I hated the most of living here was that it got really cold. You had to pile up in clothes to sleep well during the winter. She looked around the room. She was probably not used to these conditions. At least she hadn't started to shiver . . . yet.

I reached over and grabbed her hands and brought it to my lips. When I turned her way, she was smiling.

"What was that for?"

"I was just expressing my love."

She smiled again and it ate up my heart and stole my breath. She was the most beautiful thing I had ever had. The best I ever had. The best I would ever have. I prayed to God I would never be taken away from this beautiful creature he has gifted me with.

"It's rude to stare."

"Even if it's at someone as beautiful as you are?"

That made her blush. There was what I was looking for her. Her blush. The blush that lit up her face and made her green eyes seem lighter than they actually were. I stood there rooted in place, not knowing what to do next. All I wanted was to stare into her eyes for the rest of my life.

"Maya . . ."

**Maya **

I heard him say my name. The simple saying of my name made me shiver. I closed my eyes.

"Tony . . ."

I didn't know who reached over first, but suddenly we were bother clinging to each other. His lips soon found mine and he kissed me like there was no tomorrow. Like I was his salvation. The relief of his pain. The one he had waited for his whole life for. The one he needed. The one he loved. . . .

I didn't really know what was happened and I didn't really want to know because I was in the arms of Tony, the one I loved. Our kissing didn't stop either; it only intensified and deepened. The hunger and wanting burned on our skin, coursed through our veins.

I relaxed into his arms as he took me to the bed, not breaking the kiss. And suddenly, the clothes were coming off. His shirt, my shirt. His shoes, my shoes. His pants, my pants. . . till we were both naked. We didn't get straight to the point. Taking it slow sometimes was good.

He kissed my lips, going down caressing my neck with his lips, kissing down to my chest and back up to my lips again and again. He nibbled on my ear and my neck and the tops of my boobs. I felt so inexperience because I was laying with a _man_, not a boy like Matt. This was Tony, but I trusted him.

He started to pull away. "Maya, we can't do this."

"We've come this far . . ." His lips would not leave my skin or my lips.

"We can't do this . . ." He said weakly.

"You keep on saying we can't do this, yet your lips and actions say otherwise."

"Oh, God, Maya; I want you so bad." He continued to kiss me but pulled away seconds later. "I don't want to hurt you, Maya—"

"You won't Tony."

He was breathless. "We really can't do this . . ."

"Tony, be a man, just give in . . ."

He did.

There was a big difference in sleeping with a _boy _as opposed to sleeping with a man. Tony knew what the hell he was doing and everything he did was followed by a wave of pleasure and bliss. My hands curled, my nails dug into his back.

"Oh, God, Tony . . ." I sighed onto his skin. "Don't ever let go . . ."

I opened my eyes and I could see no doubt that he loved me just as much as I loved him. Possibly more. My toes _and _fingers curled as I felt my orgasm coming. As soon as were finished, I laid back in bed. I was glad when Tony took off a blanket off us. Yes it was cold, but the body heat enough to keep us warm.

"Whoa . . ."

"Hmm?" he randomly asked as he played with my hair.

"That was awesome." I closed my eyes as a post-orgasmic wave hit me.

He laughed. "I thought you'd be one of those girls that would say something like 'that was amazing.'"

"Those words are for freaks."

He tightened his hold on me, closing his eyes. "Too much activity for the night, I think we should call it a night."

I yawned. "You made me tired." I accused.

"We needed that."

"Mhm . . ." He pulled me closer, tucking me under his shoulder. I snuggled closer to him and we both fell asleep.

Nothing could ruin tonight.

Nothing.

**Somewhere else in the night a killer plans her escape . . . **

I looked around to see if anyone else beside the nurse dressed in white was around. Everything was all clear and quiet, just how I wanted it to be. I looked up at her, something I rarely did because I was afraid they would learn my secret. I didn't really need to be here at all. I had gained my head back a couple of months after my brother and that nasty guardian had died.

"Lourdes?" I read off her name tag and then looked her straight in the eye.

"Yes?"

"I want to get out of here."

I willed my compulsion on her. "Yes, of course anything for you."

"Give me your clothes." We traded clothes and I looked like a nurse. Nobody would suspect of me being an escapist rather than a nurse. I let my hair fall down all over my shoulder, trying to cover my face. With my compulsion, I willed her to believe that something else had happened to her and that nobody should know about me leaving.

I scanned the area as I headed towards the main door, the door that would let me free.

I saw several guards standing around but they didn't question me as I went by. If they tried to stop me, it would be hell for them. They would probably end up getting killed by me. The guards did have a suspicious look, but they shooed it away. I was a nurse that ended her shift. They nodded at me as they opened the gate.

I walked out.

The setting sun was all I could see; I was blinded by its beauty.

I was free.

I smiled cruelly. "Watch out, Ivashkovs. There is going to be hell to pay this time. Nobody gets away with anything. Nobody."

I vanished into the night, laughing evilly as I went.

**Soo…who do you think is gonna be the killer in this story? Review for the next chapter! **

**Take lots of care**

**-Mel**


	45. 9 On the Run

**Sorry if the chapters seem rushed but can't slow it down or else I will never finish the story! This is the third chapter I finish today! Can you believe it? God, I am typing like crazy. 11 more days with my broadband and its goodbye :) I'll miss those poker nights with my Tony . . . Again . . . thanks for the reviews! They make my day! Anyways, have fun reading the chapter! **

**I don't own Vampire Academy . . . **

"Ms. Lazar?" asked a servant I had hired—well more like _forced _to work for me a couple of days ago—when I walked in through the door of my newly acquired mansion. I had "convinced" the previous owners that they had no further business in this house and I had made them leave somewhere else. Compulsion was great because it got you what you wanted. Slaves being one of those things.

"Yes?"

"Mr. Taylor is waiting for you in your office."

I smiled at the servant, who's name I'd forgotten and then I walked off to look for Mr. Taylor; my powers sensed him exactly where the servant had said he would be. I opened the door of my office and sure enough there he was.

"Mr. Taylor, nice to finally hear from you," I said as soon as I sat down on my desk chair.

We addressed each other by our last names because it was strictly business here.

"I've some good news for you; I finally found some Strigoi who are willing. You have a price to pay, though."

"Blood? Money? Sex?" I saw his eyes flash with lust as I said the last part. "What shall it be for them?" I flashed my eyes at him. Mr. Ryan Taylor was a sexy man and he was one who couldn't really resist a pretty woman like me.

"Yes to all, but they want something else as well."

I looked at him expectantly.

"Life . . ."

I smiled with understanding. "And that's their price?"

"Can you give it to them?"

"Of course; nothing is beyond my power, my dear."

He stood up. "I knew that already. I'll tell them that you agreed to their terms."

I stood up as well, folding my hands together. "And tell them if they try anything funny, they will regret it."

"I will be sure to pass the message along. You are not to worry, Ms. Lazar. Not to worry."

"Good, your salary just doubled."

He smiled before he left.

_All this is for you, my love. _

"Tom!" I yelled out.

He was right there in an instant. His red eyes glowed as he walked in my office. Tom was a recently made Strigoi that worked for me because I had promised him to restore his soul. He and I were the best of partners.

"Yes, Avery?"

"Get ready. We have some hunting to do."

That smile, that cruel smile that I loved so much appeared on his face. He loved hunting. He rarely went hunting, always getting his blood from donors I would pay to come to the house. And this wasn't hunting for blood, either; this was hunting for people that he could turn into Strigoi.

"As you wish, Avery."

"Shall we leave already?" I could hear in his tone his anxiety.

"We shall."

I linked hands with him as we made our way to the best place you could get very skilled guardians, the place where my love had betrayed me . . . St. Vladimir's Academy.

**Tony**

I looked down at Maya at how beautiful she was as she slept. Nothing could compete to her beauty. I sighed as I looked out the window after gazing adoringly at my beautiful woman. The scenery of outside reminded me of childhood when my father came home, drunk and would beat my mother. But my mother knew how to fight back. She would torture my dad with her element of water. She would suffocate him until she finally was satisfied.

Such things should be witnessed by little kids, but it didn't traumatize us like it should have to normal children, it made us stronger in our minds. He was that kind of man, I had heard. He was a man that didn't care about anything but himself. My parents argued a lot and it was all because of my dad. That was why they never took their kids in consideration.

When I was old enough, I told my mother I wanted to become a guardian and she had enrolled me in one of the academies in order to get rid of me. I became a guardian, a guardian with the same amount of skill that my father had. I loathed my father but his badass fighting skills what I appreciated him for. Then later, I had found out my father had teamed up with this lady that killed the person I loved most, my grandfather, who was like a father to me.

I was repulsed. I found a guardian who wanted to rid the world of that person and my dad and I teamed up with him. He and I both are assigned to the Ivashkov/Hathaways to protect them from Avery Lazar, the woman my father had teamed up with. She wrote hundreds of letters from the mental institution she had been locked in, claiming that she would "Kill Rose. Keep Adrian." She wanted Maya's dad all to herself. I was still waiting on the day where I would get that phone call saying that Avery had escaped the institution and was coming after Maya.

My mom and dad's dysfunction life made me appreciate greater things in life like Maya.

Just then, my phone rang. It was Guardian McCarty. "Guardian Lewis, how can I help you?"

"Tony, she escaped." _I was still waiting on the day where I would get that phone call saying that Avery had escaped the institution and was coming after Maya. . . _who would have known it would have been now. "You have to be extra careful now." I hung up the phone, needing to hear no more. I knew what I had to do now.

I looked down at Maya again. I put my guardian mask on when I felt the other side of the bed stir. I put an arm around Maya and pulled her closer, trying to not let the phone call I had just received ruin the thoughts of last night and Maya.

"It's cold," Maya whimpered.

I went under the covers so our bodies were skin to skin.

"What's wrong?" she asked as she noticed my worried face. She already had enough problems in her life. She didn't need more. Instead of answering, I kissed, trying to not let her see my worry or feel it for that matter . . .

**Maya**

There it was again—the mini heart attack. I was debating on whether or not to tell Zara about Kyle. I looked down at my fingers and all my nails were already chewed off. Gross, Maya. Well, if nobody told Zara about Kyle, _somebody _had to. It might as well should be me. Nobody could make her see reason aside from me or . . . Kyle. Oh, God. Kyle. He just couldn't die . . .

I felt a sigh of relief as I heard someone knock on the door just as I was about to press the green button that would make the call to Zara. I hopped off my bed and almost ran to the door about to hug the person that saved my life for the second. I opened the door and I _so _did not expect to find Tony standing there. Thinking back to the other night and that morning ( I was pretty sure my schedule was off) brought a blush to my face.

"Maya, is everything alright? You seem kind of edgy?" There was concern written all over his features. Not really a Tony I was used to.

"Yeah, I am fine; just a little tired." _That _ was part of the truth. He was still wearing that look of worry, so I decided to bring back my Maya Ivashkov bravado. "It was probably because I was thinking of you," I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes.

The look of anxiety rolled off his face. A Tony that had just evolved when he had had sex that other night, smiled with a flirty smile. "I was thinking of you, too." He grazed my cheek. "Come to my room, and I'll help you sleep. Or rather, I'll tire you enough to make you want to sleep."

"Ah! There's the Tony I love!" I said sarcasm all over my tone.

He said nothing, just stared at me with gorgeous blue eyes. This look was making my body feel all warm and fuzzy. His eyes were trying to convey something. After a while, I spoke up, while tossing some of my hair to the side in a flirty manner. He noticed my action as he noticed everything about me. "You want in or something?"

"Maya," he whispered in a way that you would pray a prayer, "have I ever told you how stunning beautiful you are?"

No, my dear, but you did _show _me.

"Can I come in?"

"Sure . . . but don't try anything funny this time. I don't feel like doing anything tonight." I stepped aside to let him in. He closed the door behind him.

Totally tired and emotionally drained, I went to go lay down on my bed again. Tony came to join me, taking one of my hands in his. "Maya, what do you think of going to Missoula tomorrow?"

"To see Kyle?"

"Yes."

"I would love to go."

"And also, your parents need to speak with you. They told me to pass the message along," He said as he played with my hair. I loved it when he did that.

"Since when do you keep in touch with my parents?" My mom didn't like him _that much; _my dad could deal with him, but still.

"Since I work for them, actually."

"When did this happen?" I always last to know.

"Last night."

"And why didn't I know about this until now?"

"If you would answer your phone, maybe you would know things."

"Okay, I am so calling my mommy and daddy." I took out the phone again and dialed my mom's number since I was using my dad's mobile at the moment. I put the phone on speaker when my dad answered.

"May, darling. Nice to finally hear from you. We were worried."

"Sorry, been tangled in some things." That was somewhat true.

"Is being tangled in Tony's arms one of those things?" Tony laughed and I was pretty Dad and Kyle? laughed as well. It warmed my heart to hear his laugh. "Need to say no more—I see the answer is yes."

"Maybe." I was sure my cheeks were red. "Dad . . . so what did you want to talk about? Tony said you and mom needed to talk to me."

"Kyle is being released from the hospital tomorrow." I almost clapped but the seriousness of his condition stopped me. "And he wanted to go visit Zara. So we're going to go visit her in New York tomorrow and you're coming with us. Tony you should get ready as well, since you're now a guardian for the family."

"Will do, Mr. Ivashkov."

I heard my dad sigh. "Call me, Adrian. Mr. Ivashkov makes me feel old."

"Daddy, I am sorry to say this, but you are old."

"My dear, how would you do without all those credit cards?"

"Oh, God . . ."

"Yes, my dear, so watch your words next time." He laughed when I didn't say anything. "So, yes, Maya. The plane will be there to pick you up in the morning, so be ready. Get some sleep tonight. Intimacy between you and Tony can wait."

"Adrian, but you told me to keep as close as possible to Maya."

My dad stayed quiet. "Sometimes distance is good," he said at last. "See you in the morning, darling. Have a good night."

"Love you, dad. Give Kyle and Mom a hug for me."

"Love you, too, darling. And I will. Get some sleep."

Tony took my hand. "Your dad is right, you should get some sleep."

"What about you?"

"I should head back to my room."

I moved closer to him and he put an arm around me. "Don't leave. Stay." I closed my eyes, silently begging for him to stay.

"As you wish, Maya."

I scarcely heard him . . . I was falling asleep. I was so, so tired. I was out in seconds.

The cool, wet sound of rain woke me up from my wonderful dream.

Although my body was laxly lying on the bed, I was gazing energetically out the window. I looked at the clock and noticed that it was at least two hours before I had to leave and get ready for our trip today to New York, but time flew by so it was better to get ready now than to be late. Knowing that I couldn't and wouldn't go back to sleep I turned to the side and admired Tony sleeping. I leaned closer towards him and kissed him on the cheek. If I was awake, then he had to wake up as well. But I didn't really want to wake him up.

"Can't sleep?" Of course I had to wake him up.

_Ugh, Maya! Slap yourself!_

I looked out the window again. "There is something about the rain that makes my sleep fade. It makes me restless."

Tony looked at me with amused blue eyes. "Quite the contrary; rain makes me feel alive."

I raised an eyebrow but decided to let it go. I started packing my shirts, pants, coats, shoes, socks, bras and panties, and all the essential stuff needed for a trip. I didn't pack much because I knew if I needed anything, I could just buy it. I randomly added things to my bag and I was distracted when Tony was having a conversation on the phone.

"Maya," Tony called out in a hard voice as he struggled to get dressed.

"Yeah?"

"We need to go."

"Right now?"

"Yes. Right now. Grab your bag and let's go!" He seemed crazed and determined on getting me out of the room, out of the place. He slung my bag over my shoulder, grabbed my hand, and zoomed out the door. "Your family is waiting on the runaway already. We need to hurry!"

I power walked behind him because it was really hard to run in flats. He didn't give me a chance to put on boots and because of that I was falling and my toes were freezing with the snow. Besides feeling cold, I was also feeling like something was watching me or following.

"Tony? I'm scared."

Tony slowed down a little, but didn't stop. He turned to look at me, face softening just for me. "Maya, don't be scared. I am here to protect you; I'll always be, no matter what. I would die just for you, Maya." His eyes were intense on mine. "Don't be scared."

His words warmed my heart but did not take my stress away. "What's happening? Can you tell me?"

"Someone wants you dead. That's why your dad requested me as one of the family guardians." He felt me shiver and squeezed my hand. "Maya, I told you already. I would die protecting you. I'll die before anything happens to you . . . I'd pick death over seeing you get hurt anytime."

He was my hero.

But it made me guilty that he was in danger because of me.

I stopped walking, making him stop with me. I looked him level in the eye. "Run away, Tony. You don't have to put yourself in this dangerous situation because of me—"

"Maya!" He put his hands on either side of my cheek. "I am not going to run away. I can't run away. My life, the rest of it, I'm going to spend protecting you."

I didn't have any words to say, not because I didn't want to say anything but because I was not capable of speaking coherently.

He looked around. "Now, you have to promise me something."

I nodded, encouraging him to speak.

"What we're in for is bad. We don't know the outcome." He took hold of one of my hands. "I want you to promise me that if anything does happen to me, I want you to live on, move on as if I had never come into your life."

"Tony," I sobbed.

"Maya?"

"I promise." In that moment I did not feel the need to promise him anything because I _knew _Tony and I knew that he would get us out of any situation, alive and well. But it was now, and I never knew what the future could hold . . .

"You promise me something, too."

"Anything . . ."

"If we survive this, I want you to ditch your guardian duties and come live your life with me."

He stared into my eyes for a while before he kissed me.

That's all I needed to know the answer was _yes . . . _

He pulled away first. "We have to run!"

And we did, not knowing what the future would hold . . .

**Review for the next chapter! **


	46. 10 The Capture

**Avery**

I sat as immobile as possible as I waited for my messenger/slave to return—pacing seemed like a better option but it wasn't unattractive for me to show my emotions; Avery Lazar was all about keeping her emotions in check, which was exactly what I was doing like always . . . keeping my emotions in check. There were so few people that could go beyond my steel walls that I built in order to keep myself apart from the world. it wasn't rare for a person just graze above the surface of my walls, but it was rare if they could make my steel walls falter. There was only one person that had gone all the way. And that person was . . . Adrian Ivashkov.

He was everything the perfect man should be defined as. Adrian was gorgeous, courteous to all, charming, everything that the perfect man should be. He and I had once met at one of annual royal banquets. He had been kind to me when I felt like the world had turned down on me. I chased after him for quite a while. When he finally showed some interest in me, I did not hesitate in making my move on him. Our relationship was going well until he came here, to the very place where I was at in this very moment . . .

Everything changed.

My best friend kept tabs on Adrian while I stayed at home, trying to be the perfect daughter for my father who was _trying _to be the perfect father. Adrian and I stayed in touch, but nothing was ever the same. My friend said that Adrian had eyes for a new girl. Rose Hathaway. She ruined everything Adrian and I built, our plans and our dreams. Well, my dreams. The dreams I had for Adrian and me were never voiced aloud because I was afraid of what he would think.

And then that same girl goes off and breaks Adrian heart, claiming that she never wanted to see him again because her love for him had faded. Adrian was devastated, maybe that was understated, but there was no better word to describe how Adrian was left. I reached out for him again; it seemed like the old flame sparked again . . . for me. Adrian seemed lost. He was not looking for love or any kind of relationship, for that matter. A few years later, he went back to Rose's life again.

And this time . . . it was me who was lost.

I went crazy, literally. I was not well in the mind. I killed two of my most important allies: My guardian Oscar and my brother Reed. When they asked me why I had done, I told them out of my own pleasures. Officers had declared me a psycho and had sentenced me for years in a mental institution. As they locked me, I argued: I was not a psycho . . . I was just mad . . .

The cold rain drops that fell on my face from the gray sky brought me back from my memories. The sky's dark color matched my persona; we were both connected to the dark. My smile vanished when I noticed Mr. Taylor, Henry, came back empty handed. He was supposed to have come with the girl! Adrian and Rose's daughter. That Maya girl. I could just try and go after Rose and kill her so that I could finally get _my _happy ending with Adrian, but it seemed more _prudent, _more _satisfying _if I tampered with their daughter first. Nothing hurt more than seeing a son/daughter suffering, which was exactly what Adrian and Rose were going to feel when they realized that their daughter was dead.

"Well?" I asked impatiently, crossing my legs for the millionth time.

Mr. Taylor seemed afraid to answer. He already knew what was coming for him if he did not have good news for me.

"He knows you too well." He simply said as if it were an explanation of some sort.

The clouds were starting to clear and it would be bad if I stood up and the sun beams hit me; it would be like poison in my veins or venom in my system. Ever since I had developed my "Black Spirit Powers" when I had killed my brother and guardian, letting their powers fill me, I could not have anything to do with the sun without dying. I belonged to the dark and the sun belonged to the light. We would never mix anymore.

"Explain yourself, Henry." I commanded, staring deeply into his eyes. I could not use compulsion on him because I had taught him how to refuse compulsion.

"Tony Lewis was in charge of keeping track of you. He knows how you work, your every move, and he knew that eventually you would come after Maya."

I knew what Henry was trying to tell me: He took her away. I wanted to fume and go crazy. I looked up at the sky, the clouds clearing even more. If the sun came out anymore, I was dead. It would be a little more trouble to deal with Tony but he would be taken care of. He was just a mere distraction in my plans. Oh, well. He took Maya away, but he was also giving me more time to plan Maya's torture and death.

I eyed Henry as I began to retreat back to the darker part of the forest. "You are lucky that the sun is coming out or else you would have been dead."

I continued walking, ideas of torture rummaging through my head.

_You should have stayed with me in the first place, Adrian . . . _

**Maya**

My dad didn't really care about Tony and me, but my mom did so that's why I found myself sitting next to Kyle on the plane or else I would have been sitting next to Tony. As it was, I did glance occasionally at Tony, but he was too busy in his own worries to notice me. I looked back at Kyle and tried smiling for his sake. It was hard to forget that he was going to die. And it was even harder to just accept the fact.

"How are you?" I asked, holding his hand close to me.

"The same." He said, simply, shrugging. He changed the subject quickly. "I told Malese about it. She toke it hard."

"Poor Malese . . ."

We continued to talk about nothing really when I started to doze off. I dreamt about a possibility. Maybe one day Tony and I could live that possibility.

_Those blue eyes suddenly got closer. I could see nothing but love, and concern in them. His lips suddenly molded with mine. I stiffened, but soon returned the kiss. It was sweet and loving. I pulled away and looked into Tony's eyes. I realized something. I loved Tony. _

"_Get off me!" _

"_No can do, my dear; you're my prisoner for the night." _

_Tony and I were lying on the bed resting, after a vigorous round on the bed. We were looking at the ceiling where one of my boots somehow had gotten stuck on the fan and most of my clothes were lying, scattered on the floor._

_We looked away from the ceiling when we heard a branch scratching against my window._

_I sighed irritably and ignored it, while Tony chuckled._

_I grinned at the sound of his laughter and said to him, "It's probably Kayla's lover trying to sneak out of the house while the other lover tries to get in the house." _

_Tony choked on unneeded air and said "How many guys does she have?" _

"_I wouldn't be surprised if it were a million. She is always claiming that a woman needs to be satisfied." _

_His mouth was still gaping, but then it closed as he said to her, "How can she take so many rounds? I'm tired after just one round." _

_My eyes bulged as I burst out laughing."Am I too hard for you to handle?" _

_He kissed my forehead, and then grinned at what I said next."If you say yes, I'd become a criminal just to get your kiss."_

_Tony replied, his voice shaking slightly with laughter. But things heated and turned serious again. Tony's eyes darkened and said, "I'd like to be the criminal and steal a million kisses from you." _

_I grinned at his words. "Do you think I could still visit your restricted section tonight? Or are you _so _tired that you can't handle another round of loving?"_

_No words from his mouth, but definitely a kiss Maya got, a kiss that turned into so much more. _

_After we were done I said to him, "I think this house is cursed. Kayla's way of thinking has suddenly taken over my mind . . ." _

_In response there was a chuckle and another round of kissing._

I was brought back to life when Kyle started shaking me. "What?" I asked as I looked up at him.

He leaned down to whisper in my ear. "We've arrived." He was still giving me a weird look.

"What?" I repeated.

"You were whispering Tony's name every now and then as you slept. It made Dad and me wonder what you do with Tony . . ." He burst out laughing.

I blushed and looked away to Tony. He winked when he noticed me. Oh, crap he must have been in on the joke too. My blush grew even darker. I looked over at my mother who was sitting next to Cade and Dante; she did not look too pleased. For one, she wouldn't look at me. Two, she kept giving Tony dark looks. Why couldn't she just let me be. I knew that I wasn't an adult, I still needed a few months to be legal, but still. I was seventeen! I needed some respect in what I did in _my _life. I wasn't a baby anymore.

As we descended the stairs of Dad's plane, I asked Kyle, "Do you think my mom is hates Tony?"

Kyle didn't look at me as he answered. "I do not think she hates; however, I do not think she likes him."

"Great . . ." It made me sad. I did not want my mother disliking Tony if he and I would ever get together in the future.

"Don't fret over it, Maya." Kyle said as I put my hand in his. "Dad likes Tony and if Dad likes him, our mother is bound to like Tony as well."

"Still . . ." I sighed. "If Tony and I ever have a thing in the near future, I need my mother's approval as well. Not just Dad's."

"You and Tony are pretty serious, right?"

I looked back at Tony and he smiled quickly before returning to his duties. "I think so . . . I'm not sure."

"Nobody is ever sure of anything. But you seem pretty serious. If you love him, who cares about what the world thinks, Maya?"

"We aren't talking about the world; we're talking about Rose Hathaway liking my man. _That's _even worse."

He chuckled. "Whatever . . . I'm starving. And we need to go find Zara and tell her."

That made me sad. Zara was going to take it bad. Mom and Dad had put it up to me and Kyle to telling Zara the bad news. Kyle because he could make her see reason; me because I would be the only one who could cheer her up. We had to wait a couple of hours before we could see Zara. She was busy in school at the moment and my dad nor mother wanted to disturb her while she was studying. That meant we had some hours of chilling in New York. Before we could go anywhere, we had to go our penthouse in town so that we could relax after some time on the plane. Aunt Jade had let my dad bring along Kayla and I was thankful for that because she was going to be my companion for the next three weeks! We were going to party it up with Kyle!

Kayla threw herself on my bed when we finished showering. "When are we going shopping?"

"We can go now if you want?"

She threw herself off the bed this time. "Yes!" She reached for her bag. "My daddy gave me awesome credit cards this time!"

"Well," I said, reaching for my bag and pulling out some cash money. "_My _daddy gave me the Benjamins!" I waved my hundred dollars bills over her face. "Smell that sweetness."

"Okay, you whores," Dante said, coming into my room, "Mom said you guys can leave already only if I go as your guardian."

"Only Dante would know a whore when he sees a whore," I said as I got my awesome Coach purse and hung it over my shoulder.

Kayla laughed. "I would know a whore when I see a whore. I deal with whores every night. Well, only man whores."

"Okay, Kayla. I so do not want to know what you do on your spare time." I put up a hand to stop her from saying anything more.

I almost skipped to where my daddy was sitting, sipping on his liquor. I leaned down and gave him a kiss on the cheek and whispered in his ear, "Can Tony come with us?"

"Tony!"

"Yes?"

"You're on guard duty with Dante. Don't let Maya out of your site."

"Sure thing, Lord Ivashkov."

"Absolutely not!" My mother exploded. "Tony has the rest of the day off!"

My father sighed dramatically as I pleaded with him. "Go have fun, Maya. I'll deal with your mother."

"No! Guardian Lewis was supposed to have the rest of the day off! Guardian Jacobs can go instead. Or I can."

"Oh, Mom, don't get offended but—" Her dark look shut me up. We didn't look alike in physical features but we shared similar personalities.

"Rose, Rose." My father said and looked at us. "You guys may leave already. The duties have been assigned and its final," he said, giving my mom a look. He was boss here. "Have fun, sweetheart."

"That's what I'm talking about Kyle!"

Kyle rubbed my back. "Don't stress about it, Maya."

"Maybe we shouldn't go near each other at all," Tony suggested.

"Dude, that still won't make her happy. You don't know our mom." Kyle told Tony.

Everyone was quiet, even Dante as we made our way towards the garage where my Dad's seven series BMW was parked. It was when we were getting into the car that I remember that I forgot my purse. Crap. I thought I had slung it over my shoulder.

"Oh, shit. I forgot something let me go get it."

Tony stood up. He didn't like leaving me alone. "I'll go with you."

"No, no. It's okay. I'll be right back." I hurried off back into the building.

The hallway as empty. Odd. There had been people when we had come out of it.

Suddenly, the lights went out.

I had the odd feeling of someone following me.

Movement in front of me.

I stopped walking and looked around. Maybe Kayla had decided to follow me and turn off the lights or something. There had to be an explanation for this. But there wasn't.

It was getting closer.

Then, I heard Tony's voice. Or I thought it was Tony's voice. "Maya, come with me . . ." it whispered.

"Where are you?"

"Behind you . . ."

It was behind me. I could feel it breathe down my neck.

I turned around and met laughing blue eyes. The woman laughed. It reminded me of ice. "You were too easy to find. . ."

The door that led outdoors opened. The real Tony walked in. "Maya!"

"To—"

I heard her faint evil laugh as a wave a power hit me and knocked me out . . .

_Top of Form_

_Bottom of Form_


	47. 11 Love Fades

**Tony**

Maya said she would hurry back but there was something in me that was telling me otherwise. As I fumbled with the door handle of the expensive car, Kyle put his hand on my shoulder. "I know you worry about her but she's going to be okay. She'll be right back." I ignored him and followed after Maya, well tried to follow Maya. I picked up my pace, hoping that I could reach her. Nothing. I ran inside of and that's when I saw her.

But someone else had already beat me to her . . .

Avery Lazar gave me a quick look as she blasted Maya with some kind of power. I screamed out Maya's name as I fell down to my knees. The blast of power had not only affected Maya, it had affected me. The lights of the hallway were out so I didn't have the smallest idea of where Maya had gone. When I recovered and the lights came back all of sudden, Maya was gone.

I did not waste time going crazy. I ran to the elevators where the door to the stairs was. Running was probably faster than the elevator. Mr. Ivashkov was pacing the room when I burst in through the door. Everyone looked my way, even Mrs. Ivashkov looked my way with annoyance written all over her face.

"Mr. Ivashkov!"

"Guardian Lewis?"

"She took her!"

"Tony, calm down. What are you talking about?" Maya's brother Cade said, coming up to me and putting a hand on my shoulder.

But Lord Ivashkov understood.

His face paled and if not for Lady Ivashkov standing next to him, he would have fallen. She led him to a chair. For the first time in my life, Lady Ivashkov looked at me as a _person _rather than someone who was going to take her daughter. "What are you talking about, Guardian Lewis?"

I looked down at Lord Ivashkov, asking with my eyes if it was okay to tell her. He spoke on his own, telling his wife everything. "Tony has been assigned to Avery Lazar. He was assigned to protect the family because Avery wants to destroy our family."

Lady Ivashkov stared incredulously between me and her husband. "Why!?"

Lord Ivashkov shrugged. "Why? She and I dated many, many many years ago. When she found out about you in my life she understood that she stood no chance against you." He sighed. "To put it mildly, she hates you and she doesn't want anything in this world that you created."

"But Maya isn't just _my _daughter. She's your creation, too! Why would she want to kill her then? Why can't she just kill me?!"

"Rose, calm, darling. I do not have an answer to your questions because I don't know what to say. The best explanation is. Maya, or any of our kids, weren't supposed to happen because I was supposed to be Avery's."

"Why didn't you ever tell me about this?" Lady Ivashkov looked on the verge of losing it.

"She killed her guardian and her brother. They locked her up in a mental institution. How would I know she would ever escape?"

I stopped there arguing before it got out of control. "Argue later! We need to focus on finding Maya."

"Call Dante and the others! They need to get back!" Lady Ivashkov screamed at the son that was just standing there looking lost. "Cade! Call your brothers and tell them they need to get back! Tell them not to let Kayla out of their sight." That sure put the boy in action.

"It's all my fault . . ." Adrian said, putting his head to his hands. "If anyone should die, it should be me. My daughter does not deserve to suffer over something that I caused."

"How would you know this was going to happen?" I questioned and didn't wait for an answer. I had to make calls of my own. Guardian McCarty answered on the first ring. "She took Maya. We need all the back-up we could get."

"In New York?"

"Yes."

"We'll track the chip in the bracelet you gave her. _You _did give it to her, did you?"

"Yes, yes. I follow orders."

"We'll keep you informed. She'll be okay, Tony."

I didn't reply to his comment. "Hurry, Arnold." I turned back around to Adrian and Rose. "They're tracking Maya down."

"How?" Adrian's face was as confused as confused could get.

"We put a chip in one of Maya's bracelets. I told her never to take it off because it was a symbol of our love. We'll be able to track her down."

"What if we're too late?" Lady Ivashkov gasped out.

"Don't think like that, sweetheart. We'll find her."

I was going crazy.

_Maya, please don't die on me. I'm coming for you, sweetheart. I'll kill Avery. And then you and I can be together . . . _

**Maya**

I woke up to a hand going through my hair. I was almost going to say something to Tony for doing that but I remembered Tony was not here. The cold, harsh realization came at me like a thousand lightning bolts. I did not know where I was because someone had kidnapped me and taken me who knows where.

I sat up but immediately was held back by a small hand that was surprisingly strong. "Don't do that. The headache gets worse when you do that." What headache? Oh. That headache. My head started pounding really hard. Startled, I looked down when I realized it was a little girl talking. She could not have been older than four. She had round, round brown eyes and light brown hair. The little girl reminded me so much of Zara when she was this age.

"Are you okay?" The little girl asked.

Her words . . . they took me back to a memorable moment between me and Zara.

"_Are you okay?" Zara who was the only about five years old run up to me. _

_I had climbed on the counter of the kitchen. I ran along I, screaming "Look at me, I'm a bird!" until I fell down and landed with a smack! on my face. _

_I shook my head. I had fallen pretty hard. And I did feel like crying like a baby. _

_Zara noticed my sad eyes. "Mommy said to kiss away the pain." She grabbed my hand and pressed it to her lips. "Better?" she asked, staring at me with huge brown eyes. _

_I nodded, silently letting some tears fall. _

_She wiped the tears away, too. "It's okay to cry, Maya. I fall all the time. And I cry Everyone cries. You can cry, too." She put her little arms around me. "I'll cry with you if you want." _

_I cried a little in her arms. That was the day I called a truce. No more throwing fish sticks at Zara . . . _

"Where am I?"

She looked at me with sad eyes. "I don't know. They brought me here for something and I can't remember what." She looked away and I could see the bite marks on her face. I gasped. What kind of monsters did this to little girls!?

I took hold of her hand. "Who brought you here?"

"A really, really nice lady with blue eyes. She told me she would give me all the toys in the world if came with her. She is a lot nicer than my actual mommy. My mommy hates; she tells me every night."

I was suddenly thankful my parents were the parents I had had as I was growing up as a child. Silent tears started to fall out of my eyes and I pulled the little girl close. She was a comfort, like Zara would be if she would have been here. I pulled back from the little girl and looked at her straight in the eyes. "If I get out of here, I'm taking you with me. I will buy you all the toys you want. I will be your mommy." I soothed her hair. "Do you want that?"

She smiled and threw her arms around my neck. "Can I start calling you mommy now?" She welcomed herself to do it. "What's your name, mommy?"

"It's Maya."

"That's a pretty name."

"What's your name?"

"Illiana," she said as she yawned.

"Illiana, sweetheart, why don't you go to sleep?"

"I'm scared," she said, pouting.

"Don't be. I'll watch over you. Go to sleep."

"But what if someone comes for you?"

"I'll still protect you."

"And you won't leave like my other mommy left?"

"I promise I won't leave . . ."

"Okay, thanks, mommy." She reached up and kissed me on the cheek. I leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Sleep well."

I watched as her delicate features turned into an innocent child's face when she sleeps. I stroked her hair, trying to make her as comfortable as possible. There were no blankets so I took off my coat and covered her with it. The coat was long enough to cover her whole body. How could a mother be as stupid to not realize what beautiful miracle she had in front of her? There were some woman that spent most of their lives trying to conceive and there were other woman that spent all their lives despising what they had in front of themselves; they had no heart.

I looked down at the bracelet Tony had given me a couple of days ago, right after we had shared a nice moment in that cabin. He said I had to wear it every day if he meant something to me. Of course he meant something to me, which was why I found myself wearing it now. He had bought himself one, too and he wore it as well.

An hour passed of the little girl sleeping when someone walked in through the door. It was the woman with the blue eyes, the one that Illiana had talked about. The woman didn't look nice at all. She smiled when she noticed me look at her. I kept my expression as blank as possible; I did not want her to know how freaked out I really was. But she could probably assume.

"How about you follow me? I do not want the little girl witnessing what's going to happen next."

"I promised her I wouldn't leave her alone . . ."

She stared at me for a couple of seconds, without blinking. "Marc!" A couple seconds later, one of _them _walked in. A Strigoi. I tired hiding my fear as well. This was scarier than facing the woman, a billion times scarier. The woman nodded at the little girl in my arms. The Strigoi took her out of my arms.

"Don't hurt her please . . ." I whispered.

"What happens to her, is none of your business."

I stood up and tried taking the little girl out of the Strigoi's hands. "Don't take her! Leave her here!" The little girl held whatever last bit of sanity I had.

But the Strigoi was gone.

I looked around and there was black mist surrounding me. The mist looked like it was taking shape. I glanced back at Avery and she was smiling quite deviously. "This never fails to amuse me." The fog had formed into two shapes. One shape was on either side of her. "Say hello to Oscar and Reed, Maya."

I was terrified, but at the same time I was amazed. I had never seen anything like this ever before. Even though we were certainly not human, my dad wanted us to blend in with the human world, Day World. And what I was seeing was completely beyond anything I had ever seen in my entire life. It amazed me.

"If you don't comply, Oscar and Reed will be sure to make you regret it." She tapped her finger under her chin. "Now, do you know who I am?"

"No."

"Your father never mentioned and old love by the name of Avery?"

"No."

Her anger made the shapes move closer to me. I flinched.

"Well, this is going to be harder than it is."

"What do you want from me?!" I suddenly demanded. Bad idea, Maya. The shapes started attacking me, going through my body and making me feel the worst imaginable pain in the world. There were no words to describe what I was feeling. I started screaming. It was horrible. She didn't stop it either.

"I was going to make you suffer and let you go." She said as casually as you would say you wanted cheese on your cheeseburger. "But now I am going to make you suffer and then kill you."

I didn't pay attention to the world or time or anything. I just knew that it hurt. Bad. I wanted to die and not live through this pain ever again. I didn't even see Tony fighting with some Strigoi when the doors opened. I wasn't aware of anything . . .

"Make it stop!" Tony yelled at Avery who just laughed. He himself had was also experiencing the pain. A Strigoi walked through the door and even though he was about to pass out, he still battled the Strigoi. The Strigoi all but killed Tony. I saw the Strigoi go down as Tony's stake plunged through her heart.

Then, her turned on Avery. She didn't even flinch as he grabbed her around the throat, choking the life out of her. She just laughed and laughed. "You can't kill me." Tony tried harder. Nothing happened. I saw that determination in Tony's eyes. Somebody was going to die tonight.

"Help me! Help me!" I kept yelling. Tony was debating whether to go for me or kill Avery.

Finally, though. Tony pulled out a knife out of his pocket and slashed Avery across the shoulder. She gasped out in pain. "Stupid dhampir!" She yelled. She was getting killed now. She was going to be the one to die tonight . . .

I was wrong.

Nothing could have ever prepared me for what I saw next.

Out of nowhere, she took the knife out of Tony's hand and stabbed him in the heart. I screamed, louder than ever before. Seeing Tony fall was a lot more pain than getting attacked by the shadows. Nothing would ever hurt so much as seeing him fall.

Avery was distracted and I was free.

I crawled over to Tony. Blood was gushing out. I gripped the knife and tried pulling it out. It was stuck in his heart. It seemed like the knife was the only thing that was keeping him alive. If I pulled it out, he was dead.

My tears mixed with his blood.

I saw Avery smile cruelly. "Poor, poor Maya. The second round is going to be worse." With an evil cackle, she left.

"Tony!" I screamed out.

"Maya . . ." Tony gasped. "I love you, Maya. I always have loved you . . ."

"Tony . . ."

But he was already dead.


	48. 12 Getting Away

**This is just a fill-in . . . the next chapter is gonna be better. Thanks so much for you wonderful reviews! No off to write the next chapter…**

I watched as the glass door fogged up each time I breathed in and out as I rested my head on the hand that was pressed up against the door. It was a misty, gray morning with no sun in sight. A rare morning here for Madrid, Spain. Usually, the sun was shining. But today was not the usual day. Today marked the third month of a very tragic moment. The death of Tony. The weather outside matched my mood perfectly. On the outside, anyone could think I was over it but inside the wound of Tony's absence still stung. Only the people that knew my so well could see the inside of me, the emotions that went with it; they saw I was hurting.

Sighing, I turned back to the glass shower, slipping off my white robe, and heating up the shower that blasted out hot water in seconds. I quickly slipped inside, steam fogging up the glass walls, hoping the hot water would wash my pain away. Nothing could. Only Tony living again would bring out the best Maya that was happy of living, not the Maya that was tired of living.

But today would change.

Or so I hoped.

I took a slow shower, one where I could enjoy the hot water. I would have taken a bath in the bathtub but I only did that when I was alone in the house and I wanted to relax with no interruptions. I turned off the water when I was done showering, and I blow dried my hair and after straightened it out. I had not done anything grand to my hair like this in the longest time. I needed to get a haircut, for one, maybe add a little color as well.

I slipped my robe back on and walked out to my room. I scanned my closets. Nothing seemed interesting enough to wear. Lately, ever since that tragic day, _nothing _really seemed interesting at all. I looked out the glass windows and noticed the sky was still gray. How depressing. I wanted the sun to shine again, but it was autumn in Spain. I went back to my closet with more insight on what to wear.

When I came out of the room, and into the kitchen, I was wearing some really awesome skinny jeans with rips on the knees and on the upper thighs. I wore a black tunic with a black dark, dark purple belt over my waist. My skinny jeans were tucked under my designer stiletto boots. This was probably the first time I had dressed up nicely in such a long time. Even my housemate was shocked.

As soon as I walked into the kitchen, my housemate, Kayla gasped.

A quick smile made my lips turn up.

Kayla gasped again. "A smile and finally some nice clothes! What's the occasion?"

I slapped her on the arm and ignored her question. "What did you cook me for first breakfast?"

Kayla had tagged along with me when Tony had died. It had been the day of his funeral that me and my mother had gotten into a fight. She said she was sorry that Tony had died and it was actually better that he had died and that I really didn't have a future with Tony at all. I blew up, telling her that she didn't know that the hell she was talking about and that she wasn't sorry at all. I told her that I needed to get away, to leave for a while and not come back until I was healed again. And I pretty much told her I hated her. Kayla tagged along with me, saying that that's what sisters are for. "Sisters don't let sisters do stupid things," she paused, " . . . alone." A mischievous smile lit up her face. And of course she had followed me. She was happier here. But she claimed she missed the sun a lot. The sun shined everyday in my Nevada and her California.

She set a place on the counter when I sat on one of the stools. "I cooked you some tacos, dear," she said in a motherly tone that I knew was over-exaggerated just for my sake.

"Thanks, mom." I said, using my innocent voice. We both laughed. "Really? Tacos for breakfast? Somehow, I love you even more."

"Tacos are little creatures that anyone cannot not love."

I stared at her and burst out laughing. "Oh, Kayla. What would I do without you?"

She smiled, those rare real smiles Kayla could only give when she was really happy. I could sense she was happy now because those real smiles were coming often at the moment. She was happy for me. I had not smiled or laughed a real laugh in over some time. She was worried for my well-being and would cheer on anything that would make me happy again.

She sat down next to me. "You're not going to find out. I'll always be here for you my sister." I got chocked up a little. I had to force a piece of my taco down my throat. "Soo . . .," she dragged out the word longer than usual, "are we going to throw that Halloween party?"

"I do not know. It's up to you." I did not feel like partying any time soon, but I would party for the sake of Kayla. She had been there for me when I needed her most. So I should be there for her when she needed me to attend this party.

"Well, I want to. But my mommy and I got into an argument. She made my daddy put a hold on my credit cards for a month. So I only have sufficient funds to keep me through the month. So . . ." She looked hopefully at me.

"I do believe my dad saying that all my credit cards had no limit . . ." I shrugged. "If not, I still have a rich granddaddy that loves me."

Kayla threw her hands up in the air. "I knew Maya would be our savior!" She yelled out like I was some kind of god.

"Okay, you creep."

She tapped her fingers on the counter impatiently. "Can we go shopping? The party is only three weeks away. And three weeks, in party time, is like a day away. We need to impress our guests with our unlimited supply of money." She paused. "Excuse me, _your_ unlimited amount of money."

"I could not care less about money. Sure, it can buy you a lot of things. But happiness and a life is not something money can buy," I said, sighing sadly.

Kayla nodded. She understood I was suffering. She changed the subject quickly. "Well, I spoke to Kyle today."

Instead of feeling better, I felt worse. Coming to Spain made me lose all contact with my family, even my favorite brother Kyle. I had not talked to him, which meant I was not updated on anything new of his condition. I hadn't even called to make sure he was still alive. "What did Kyle say?"

"He misses you a lot, wants to talk to you, not on the phone, face to face, and that he wants to come visit you."

"Kyle can't be coming here, not with his condition and all—"

She stopped me. "Actually, he had some good news about his sickness."

"What?"

"Remember how the doctors pretty much gave him no hope of living?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, the doctors decided some start doing some series of chemotherapy him. And he is responding very well. Thanks to your dad's healing and some of the chemotherapy, the doctors said his prognosis has increased, adding years to his life rather than a couple months. Turned out the condition wasn't as bad as they thought it would be. He can live now!"

I was happy, really happy. Tears of joy started leaking out of my eyes. I wanted to see Kyle. Bad. "You don't know how happy that makes me." I started downright sobbing then. "Kyle is going to live!"

"Yes!" She was crying with me now. Finally, though, we calmed down. She looked at the clock on the wall. "I am sorry to ruin your happy moment, but we have to get somewhere."

"Where exactly do we need to go?" I asked, slipping on my trench coat, since it was probably the only thing that would keep me warm in this exact time of the season.

"We're going to the airport . . ."

"Why exactly?"

"To pick up Matt . . ."

I suddenly stopped walking to the door.

She turned back at me with a question in her eyes. "Is something wrong?"

"You know very well how much I cannot stand, Matt."

"Relax, Matt's not coming alone."

"Who is he coming with?"

"Two other people. The first person, you'll love. The second person, I don't know . . . She seems like a bitch. Don't know why Matt would bring his fiancée here?"

"Matt's getting married!?"

"Shocker, ain't it? I always pictured Matt solo all his life. I think her knocked her up or something." Of course Kayla would talk and talk about the situation, pondering all sort of things. "Well, Matt his my condolences."

"Condolences? Why that?"

"It would more prudent if I gave him my condolences rather than my congratulations."

"Why?"

"His future wife is a bitch. I must warn you beforehand. If you feel like slapping her, you go on right ahead on slapping her. At least try to be nice, just for the sake of the man you used to sleep with," she said, waggling her eyebrows at me.

"God . . . don't remind me of those tragic days."

"Tragic? More like pleasurable days. You know you liked it."

"You know you liked it, too."

She turned beat red. "How did you find out about that?"

I laughed. "Relax. I don't care what you did with Matt because he and I are over, done with, whatever you want to call it." I slung my purse over my shoulder. "Let's go. Or we will never make it in time with all that traffic." Madrid was beautiful but the small place really had a lot of traffic, due to the high population.

We lived on a house that was constructed on top of a rooftop. Weird, but it was an awesome way to live. We had a view of the whole place, all the lights; it was beautiful, beyond words to be exact. Kayla drove to the airport because I had no patient driving here. I only drove when I really wanted to go somewhere and Kayla wasn't around. The airport was only fifteen minutes away, but thanks to the all the traffic it seemed like thirty minutes away.

Kayla parked on the curb and I followed her inside. We saw our guests walking towards us, looking beat and tired. It was a long flight, at least twenty hours from where we lived. I looked at Matt. He had changed. Before, he hadn't given a shit about how he dressed; now, he did. He looked like a supermodel and kind of retarded because he was wearing shades when the sun wasn't even shinning. His girl, or his fiancée, was just like him. She had these weird-shaped eyebrows that made her look as if she was mad when she really wasn't. She was probably freezing in her outfit, but I couldn't blame her, she was trying to look good. The person behind them, now he was really gorgeous, taking looks after his daddy. His head was shaved off because he didn't have any hair growing due to the strong medications he was under. He wore a dark purple button-up polo that had the first few buttons unbuttoned to show off his chest, designer jeans that tucked in his shirt, and riding boots that tucked in his pants.

"Maya, it's wrong to check out your brother," Kayla whispered.

Not caring about anything, I ran up to him and threw my arms around him. He and I hugged each other for the longest time. It had been three months—three months!—that I hadn't seen Kyle. I started sobbing again. And this time was really embarrassing because we were in public. I couldn't care less of what the people thought.

"Maya, don't cry. It's just me." He was smiling, but there were tears in his eyes as well.

I pulled away and tried keeping up with wiping off the tears. After a minute, I just gave up. "I am so happy right now, you don't understand how happy."

"I understand, Maya."

After our little scene, I went, clutching Kyle to my hip, to say hello to Matt and his fiancée, Malinda. I saw that old love kindle in his eyes as he looked at me, but I couldn't care less. He had made his choice to go with her; I had made my choice to stay way from him and it was better that away because then I would have never experience those amazing moments with Tony. If I had learned anything about life . . . it was to tell the loved ones that how you felt about them because tomorrow was never guaranteed and it was better for them knowing how you felt, then regret not telling them. That's what Tony taught me . . .

"I don't get a hug?" Kayla asked, pouting a little.

Kyle threw her arms around her as well. "Of course you do, sister."

I saw Kayla tear up for a second. Then she pulled away from Kyle.

"Let's go home . . ." She suggested, motioning for Matt and his fiancée, Melinda.

"So, I am in Madrid, with my favorite sister and my favorite cousin"—he put his arm around us both as we walked towards the exist—"I am solo man, what do we do now?"

"Anything you want, my brother. Anything. I am just really happy to see you, finally, after all this time . . ."

Kyle smiled. A party was on tonight.

Review for the next chapter…

Like I said, off to write the next chapter…

Hmm…any ideas for what should happen next?

Thanks a billion

-"**Mwow"**


	49. 13 Meeting Him

**I feel so bad for May-May . . . doing all these horrible things to her. It will get better like always. Again I thank you all for reviewing very wonderful reviews and I would like for them to keep on coming! And also, like always, enjoy the chapter and give me your thoughts about it.**

**I don't own VA…**

"Kyle," I said to my stubborn brother as we ate lunch at the local café that was located in Plaza Mayor here in Madrid. "I'm not going back to the states."

"You've been here for how long, three months? Four? And already you are using the Spaniard jargon."

I stared at him uncomprehendingly. "I am not going to lie, I have no idea what you just said."

Kyle flicked me on the head. "Maybe you should pay more attention in school. Dad said he's going to stop our money supply, and make us work for our things, if we don't start going and actually doing well in school."

"Oh, shit. Guess I should start paying more attention in school . . ."

"And stop flirting with so many guys."

The comment brought me pain. I hadn't flirted with anyone because I felt guilty. "I don't talk to guys. At all." Well, I did. But only to ask about class assignments and friendly things like those.

Kyle sighed, obvious to the fact that he had said something wrong, and changing the subject. "Maya, seriously. Everyone misses you terribly. Even Dante. The whole house is empty. You are the light and joy of the house. So you need to come home." Kyle's words were light but I could hint that sadness in those light brown eyes. I was missed at home, that was a shocker. I thought by the way I never stopped bugging everyone in the house that my family would actually be happy of my absence. Guess I was wrong.

"Honestly, Maya. _I _am the one who misses you the most. Nobody fun at home." He looked at me with pleading eyes. "Come home, May-May." Kyle only used that ridiculous nickname when he wanted something really, really bad from me.

I fooled around with the Ring of Healing my dad had given me before I left as I thought about what Kyle had said for a while. Home wouldn't be Nevada anymore; it would be California, the Golden Coast. Don't get me wrong, I loved Nevada but California was a place of magic, the sun shined down on you and made you happy about life and whatnot. I could live with that again . . .

Somebody called out the name "Tony!" and I immediately turned around. A couple of teenagers—no older than I was—the male was encaging the female in a huge bear hug. She was squealing, loudly, begging the male to let her go. Finally, he let her go only to plant a huge kiss on her face.

I was sad again.

That was what Tony and I could have been, _should _have been. And what hurt the most was that we were so, so close to what we wanted. I looked down at the table and absentmindedly stirred my tea, adding unnecessary sugar to the already sweet tea.

Kyle whispered, "You don't always have to be so strong, Maya. You have to let go at one point."

I closed my eyes. "Kyle, I don't think I can go back . . ." I had to speak around the lump in my throat.

Kyle scooted his chair closer to mine. He put his arm around my shoulder. He was younger than I was yet here he was protecting me instead of the other way around. "I understand how you're feeling, Maya—logically, not emotionally. I will never know how you feel, inside, not until I experience what you've gone through. But I can _understand _you're suffering." I had to struggle not to cry. I could already feel the sobs starting in my chest. "But life goes on, Maya and so we have to go on as well. Or at least try to go on."

I put my hands over my face. "Kyle, I can't." The word was followed by a small sob.

"No you can't, Maya, of course not! You can't move on when you're not even trying!" He was too smart. He knew that I hadn't even _tried _moving on. "You're never going to succeed if you don't try."

I knew where he was coming from. He wanted me back home; it went without saying. Mom or Dad had probably sent him here to take me back home. "Kyle, be honest, did Mom or Dad send you here?"

"No, I came here because I miss you around the house, cracking jokes with me. I miss you!"

"Dammit, Kyle! You're making it really hard for me not to stay."

He smiled. "Awesome."

I gave him a dark glare.

"Did you know Kayla is going back to California as well?"

"What the hell? I don't want to stay alone here."

"We leave in two days, if you want to join us."

I stayed quiet once more. The clock that was located in the Plaza chimed, claiming the time was now eight in the morning. Kyle had waken me up super early, and he had waken me up to bring me here and have a little chat. I sighed and looked at the clock again. I wanted to stay with Kyle, but if we didn't leave now, the Halloween party wouldn't be going down tonight.

"Kyle? Can you go home and wake up Kayla? I want to grab a coffee so I don't fall asleep."

He stood up. "Yes, ma'am. I'll be on my way. Be careful." He blended with the crowd as he walked the short distance home.

I went to the counter to pay the bill and order a new coffee, packed with extra caffeine. I was putting away my clutch in my purse when a voice behind me said, "Give me all your money!" I turned around, ready to punch him in the face, but I noticed he was laughing. The "he" was the guy from my college. Callan . . . the guy who could make me smile and made my heart beat again in the way Tony used to make it beat, despite me saying that no man could make me "feel" again.

"You scared me!"

He stopped my hand in midair and kissed it. "I shouldn't be scaring people like that, I almost got the lovely hand of Ms. Ivashkov in my face," he said in a teasing voice.

I was mad. And quite freaked out.

"No, you shouldn't."

He studied my face, his eyes searching mine. My anger stared to fade. "You're mad." It was a statement not a question. "Hmm . . . what can I do to make the beautiful Maya happy once more?" As he checked me, I checked _him _out. He was quite gorgeous. Tony had been straight-up sexy. But Callan was handsome _and _sexy. Ash blonde hair, light green eyes, and a smile that you'd stop in the middle of the street just to stare at. I had had heard that all girls were chasing after him, but he always said he was only interested in one girl—me—when clearly I wasn't in any shape to start dating again. Also, Callan was Moroi. He had lived all his life in the human world, so he was accustomed to the sun.

"Are you coming later tonight to the party Kayla is throwing?"

He stroked my cheek. " Wouldn't want to miss a chance at seeing you. Of course I am going." He paused. "It's a costume party, right? Couples only? What are you dressing up as?"

"Yes and yes to both of those questions. And you'll see later tonight," I said in a suggestive tone, biting my lip.

This was Callan. This guy was much like my Dad had been in his early years of living, according to my mother's stories. Callan was very seductive and chased around girls and I was the "reason of his living" and "the obsession of life" according to what he had told Kayla the other day. How wonderful for me, right?

"Well, _mi amor,_"—he was half Spaniard and half American so of course he would know the Spanish language—"I'll see you later tonight." He gave me a quick wink, an air kiss, and walked away.

I sighed, feeling like my heart was going to beat out of my chest.

_Get a hold of yourself, Maya! _

Kyle's words whispered in the air as if he were standing next to me. _Life goes on and so do we. _

And it did . . .

Several hours later, almost half a day, Kayla and I were partying it up. We were both dressed as angels. She was the "good angel" dressed all in white; white outfit, white wings, white knee-high boots, and a white halo. I was the "fallen angel" dressed all in black; black outfit, some awesome knee-high boots that had cost my daddy a total of a thousand dollars. I hadn't wanted to wear wings, but Kayla insisted. Yes, we were both dressed as angels, but out outfits suggested said a whole things entirely by the way it showed a lot of skin.

Guys were appreciating it, though.

"There you are, Maya!" I heard Callan say. I laughed at Kayla's weird way of dancing and turned around and almost stumbled into Callan's arms.

"Hey, girl, you look happy to see me." Of course he would say a flirty comment like that.

Damn he looked sexy! He was shirtless with only black jeans. What has he supposed to be dressed as? A prostitute? I inspected him a little more closely and I noticed he was wearing black wings. Oh. He was dressed just like me. Kayla had probably told him since I didn't have a date and all tonight. Even though it was weird being dressed as he was, he looked pretty damn sexy.

It was like I went under some spell right then and there. Without realizing what I was doing, without being aware of my thoughts, I ran a hand down his smooth chest.

The music and the atmosphere changed, as if Callan and I only existed.

Callan held out his hand. "Want to dance?" He asked, his voice dropping to a tone that was meant to be seductive.

I would have taken his hand and danced. But I noticed the song that was playing . . .

_I stumbled across your picture today, I could barely breathe.  
The moment stopped me cold and grabbed me like a theif.  
I dialed your number but you wouldn't be there.  
I knew the whole time, but it's still not fair.  
I just wanted to hear your voice, I just needed to hear your voice._

What do I do with all I need to say,  
So much I wanna tell you everyday.  
Oh, it breaks my heart,  
I cry these tears in the dark.  
I write these letters to you,  
But they get lost in the blue.  
Cause, there's no address in the stars.  


The song would have been a good song in someone's else ears, but in my ears it sounded depressing and true. This was just exactly how I was feeling with Tony's absence. I didn't even know what I was doing; I just needed to get away, away from all these people that were having fun and going on with life like nothing was wrong. I couldn't do that. It'd be a crime moving on with Tony.

Callan grabbed my wrist as I made my way through the crowd. I easily shook his hand off and ran outside, down the stairs, and into the dark, empty street. The only reason I had gone out of that room was because of the song—the freaking song!—that explained just exactly how I was feeling, my exact emotions.

I didn't cry because I didn't have tears to cry. I felt empty.

_Without you here with me,  
Don't know what to do  
I'd give anything just to talk to you._

Oh, it breaks my heart.

Oh it breaks my heart.

All I can do is write these letters to you.  
But there's no address in the stars.

_I'm screaming at the sky,  
Oh, cuase it hurts so bad.  
Everybody tells me that all I need is time.  
Every morning rolls in, and it hurts me again,  
And that ain't nothin but a lie._

I slid down the wall and sat down on the ground. And then I heard Callan's voice again.

Damn! Did he not understand that I needed to get away.

I stood up as quick as possible and started running, who knew where. The thought of getting away just burned in my mind as I ran. It was really hard to run in heels, but I was doing it. I was sure I would do anything just to get away from the world right now.

I ran . . .

. . . straight into the arms of a Strigoi, whose red eyes were filled with malice.

**Okay, so I sat down with my mother and I asked if I could stay with my broadband and I'll give my beautiful phone to my sister, who actually needs a really high-tech phone because she is a business person. Anyways, my mother said if I get a really crappy phone, not that crappy, I could stay with my broadband. But…I love my Droid…and I don't know what to do! Any advice? Stay with the Droid or The Broadband? **


	50. 14 The Kill

**This chapter short, but I needed a break from writing chapters of 2000 words and up. So I hope you enjoy. I know you were telling me to bring back Tony, but Maya needs a new guy in her life. Hope you like Callan. Thanks again for all the awesome reviews! They make my day and I do hope you like this chapter! **

**I don't own Vampire Academy . . . **

This time, when I woke, I knew where I was—well I didn't know my exactly my location but I knew who was keeping me hostage. It was all the same scene, except Illiana wasn't here and I knew Tony wouldn't be saving me now. And I was ready for her. She thought she was crazy. Well, she had never seen me in action. Come and get me bitch! I'll show you crazy, whore! Come and get me.

She did.

"Maya, it's lovely to see you again." Her blue eyes danced as the malice, evilness filled them. As always, she wore that cruel smile that I hated. I just wanted to rip it off her face and burn that smile. Maybe tonight I would get my wish. Maybe tonight I would get my revenge for her killing Tony.

"Wish I could say the same . . ." I was more like disgusted to see her.

"Don't play like that dear; I just want to have a friend chat with you, dear." She looked like she wanted to do the exact opposite of having a friendly chat. She was used to killing. Friendly chats weren't her forte.

"The hell with that. I know well enough that you brought me here to torture me."

"I just wanted to talk to you." She shrugged. "If that's your wish, so be it. Torture you shall receive."

I saw the dark fog that was her brother and ex-guardian as she summoned them. I was prepared for her this time. I squeezed my eyes, only enough to brace myself for the hit, but not enough to actually close them. I waited a few seconds for something to happen. Nothing happened. The malice-filled smile didn't leave her face. She tried again.

Again . . . nothing happened.

I looked down at my hand and realized the Ring of Healing was shining, burning with some kind of light. It was getting hotter and hotter on my finger, but I didn't actually feel the burn. It was as if the ring was filling me with power I hadn't known existed. I looked up at Avery when I heard her snarl. She tried again with her powers. Like before . . . nothing happened. At all. In fact, the black fog disappeared.

Odd.

Realizing I did have a chance to get out of here, I stood up and walked to her. She growled again and came at me, attacking me physically and not with her powers. Her powers weren't the only thing that were to the extreme; the way she fought, it was probably better than one of any guardian's in the world. I had to give her that. I respected her in that instant.

The honor soon faded when she landed a blow to my face.

She did not just do that.

Avery gave me a challenging gaze. Bring it, bitch.

Thank God Dante and Tony had made me train with them several times as I now knew how to defend myself from a woman that was acting overly childish. I blocked one of her punches and went for the attack that Tony had taught me. Hit under the chin . . . it distracts the attacker. As I readied my fist for a punch in her face, the ring on my hand just so happened to graze across her skin.

The scream that came out of her mouth was non-human. The skin that the ring had grazed had burn marks and smoke. It was like acid had been dropped on her skin. She and I both stared in horror at her skin. It was me who smiled cruelly this time. I gripped her hand with the hand my ring was on and again the screaming stared.

"I thought you wanted to torture me?" I asked her, mockingly.

She couldn't answer. She was too busy yelling.

"What do you want with my dad, anyway?"

I decided not to torture her with the ring. I let her hand go for a couple of seconds as I waited for her answer.

"I loved him." She gasped out as she clutched her hand. "Your mother took him away from me! He was supposed to be mine!"

Out of my own pleasure, I put the ring back on her skin.

"Well, you miss the key word. My dad was _supposed _to be yours. Didn't actually mean he _was _going to be yours."

I took the ring off her skin and decided to play fair.

"I'll make you a deal. I promise to let you go if don't bother me ever again."

"No deal. You're dying tonight."

I got mad. Was I really going to let myself die? Even better question, had Tony given his life for me just so that I could _let _myself die? I don't think so.

I put the ring back on her skin.

That did it. I took the ring off my hand and slipped it on her finger. It was like something was possessing her body. She thrashed out, twitching, and screaming out things that were in a foreign language. Her eyes rolled back into her head, showing only the whites. It was like she was having a seizure or like she was possessed.

My anger hadn't dimmed as I watched her suffer. Not at all. I looked around the room. It had was probably the "killing room" because there were weapons all over the place. She probably had been so sure that I would die tonight that she had forgotten to take me out of her before killing me. An evil smile lit up my face as I saw a shinny dagger, much the same to the dagger Avery had killed Tony with. I walked over to it, gripped it in my hand and walked slowly back to her.

"You killed the man I loved, you know?" The words were said softly, but nobody could deny there was definitely anger running through my tone.

I was surprised she could even talk at all. If I had been in her spot, I would have not said a word. "He deserved it."

"No he didn't. But you deserve it, however. You deserve to die in the most horrible way possible, yet I am being kind to you and just going to let all your troubles slide and give you the easy way out." I gave her a sideway's look. "Or do you prefer I wait till the sun rises and just take you to the sun so you could suffer in the same way I have suffered for the past three months because of what you did?"

I answered my own, question, shaking my head. "I am tempted to make you suffer. But I think I'll just kill you now."

And I did just that.

I watched her struggle to breathe as the knife made it way inside her heart. It was difficult getting it there, but I did it. "This is for killing, Tony . . ." I whispered.

Unexpectedly, she laughed. "I will never give in to that deal. Never." She cackled in a weird, nasty way. "You are forgetting that I have allies, powerful allies behind those doors. You kill me, they kill you and unlike me, they live forever. They will haunt your life forever."

Oh, crap. I hadn't really thought about the Strigoi outside.

My moment of being so powerful was stopped.

There were Strigoi outside. How was I going to get out of this one? After a couple minutes of debating, I finally realized the answer. I had to fight. There were stakes on the wall. And that was all I need, right? I grabbed two stakes and walked out the door, slowly.

There was some sort of battle when I walked out of the "killing room." Strigoi were battling each other, each with a dazed expression. It looked like they were compelled to do it. Well, easier to kill them. I awkwardly staked the first Strigoi. I couldn't get the stake past his ribcage. This was a lot harder than it seemed. Finally, though, I did something. The Strigoi gasped and I was surprised when he and another Strigoi fell. Odd. On it went, until finally, I bumped into someone. We both stuck our stakes at one another.

"Callan!?"

Callan? In a place where only guardians should be . . .

"Maya!?"

"We go to kill them all."

I surveyed the room.

"I think we already have them all," Callan said.

"What are you doing here?"

"I can ask you the same question."

"I asked you first," I said, with a low threatening tone. I had just killed someone. Don't want to piss me off.

"I followed the Strigoi that abducted you." I could tell he was keeping something from me.

I looked around again and I felt like someone had slapped me. The fear kicked in at last.

"Let's get out of here!"

"After you, Maya! Run!"

But I couldn't run.

A massive headache overtook my head. Everything was black. I couldn't see anything or feel anything except that painful headache. I found myself falling, falling, until finally hitting the ground. In seconds, the blackness took me over . . . .

**So…why do you think Callan was there? Thanks so much for reading! **


	51. 15 Home

**I am in a very happy mood right now. Just came back from Tokyo Garden and had a Sushi dinner that was delicious! And the steak and fried rice…omg…I am craving some more! Anyways, enjoy my dears! **

I awoke to gentle hands prodding my forehead as if checking for my temperature. As soon as my brain realized I was waking up, there was that pounding in my head but the intensity was majorly decreased. When finally the pain subsided, I opened my eyes. The curtains were drawn and for that I was thankful because if there would have been light, the damn pain would have started again. It was probably some bad migraine shit that caused the headache.

"How are you feeling, dear?" I had thought the person that had his hands on me had been Callan, which is why I hadn't turned to look at him, but I realized it was a woman.

I blinked. And blinked. Had Callan somehow magically turned into a woman while I was passed out for a couple of hours? days? years? because the woman looked like Callan would if he were a woman.

"Callan!?"

The woman laughed. "No, dear. I am Adelina Cohen, Callan's mother. But I'll call Callan for you. I am sure you've been itching to talk to him." She stood up and I saw she was pregnant. I didn't really want to face Callan right now, or anyone for that matter. But Callan's mother—there was something that felt comforting about her. It was probably how motherly she was. It made me homesick. I missed Mom . . .

Speaking around a lump in my throat, I pointed to her belly. "Wow . . . when are you due?" There was always something about expectant mothers that fascinated me. It was just the simple fact that they were carrying a life in their womb—it was hard to describe.

"I'm shocked," she said, staring at me with amusement.

"How so?"

She came over and sat on the side of my bed. "Well, most people would be shocked that I was expecting since I am so old and all."

I studied her. She could have been no older than thirty-something. "How old are you?"

"Thirty-four."

"I am sorry to disappoint you. But that is not old at all. There are woman that are like fifty and are barely having their first child."

"After this one, I am trying for another." Was she serious? "Shocking isn't it? Callan's dad and I struggled with infertility for our marriage life; Callan was a miracle." She put her hands on her belly. "This one was a surprise."

She slid off the bed again. I could sense she was really leaving this time. And that meant I had to face Callan now. Adelina probably sensed my distress because she reached over and held my hand. "It's okay, Maya, darling. Callan was worried sick over you, I wish you could have seen him; he was going crazy because you weren't getting better. The least you could do is talk to my son."

I didn't say anything as she walked out the door. Oh crap. Callan time now.

He didn't even knock when he entered the room.

Warily, he stared at me.

"You have a lot of explaining to do."

"I know I do," he said smiling. Oh. Don't smile. My hearts in danger of flying away. "But—so do you."

The beating of my heart slowed down.

Since he obviously didn't want to talk first, it was me that was going to speak. "What do you want to know?"

He reached into this pocket and pulled out something charred and round. "Where did you get something like this? These are rare masterpieces that only few Moroi can create." He looked at the ring with wondrous eyes.

"My dad gave it to me."

That go a response out of him. With wide eyes, he came to sit down on the side of the bed with me. "And your dad is Adrian Ivashkov, right? Spirit user?"

"Yes to all the above."

His eyes glazed over as if he were amazed. "I suddenly love you more. What is your say on marrying me?"

I chuckled but stopped laughing when I realized he was serious. That made me serious as well. What did I say about marrying him? Obviously the answer would be no because I was going through a really hard time right and I was still trying to get over my previous love.

"Maya, I am waiting for an answer."

I looked away from him. "I am still trying to get over a relationship that ended so sudden, so soon."

The sad tone he heard when I spoke made him wrap both his arms around me. "It was Tony, right?"

"How do you know all this? Is there something you aren't telling me? Have you been stalking me my whole life!?" I pulled away from him, keep a safe distance between me and him.

"No, nothing like that." He sighed. "Tony attended one of the colleges here. He and I became best friends and then he got assigned to the Ivashkov family. He told me about you, Maya. He said he had never felt the same about anyone else. And that you are the most beautiful woman walking this planet." That was exactly something Tony would say; it made me bawl my eyes out. Callan took my hand when he noticed the tears. "Looking at you now, I can agree to his words."

Finally, my sobs turned to hiccups. "It's not fair he died too young, '_like a story that had just begun  
the death tore the pages all away.'_" I quoted from a favorite country song of mine.

I had probably stirred some feelings in Callan that had probably been hidden for some time because he too let some tears fall from his eyes. "I had something with someone like you and Tony had."

"And what happened to her?"

"Someone killed her, much the same way Tony got murdered. Someone was wishing me dead, and Dana gave her life for me," he paused to take his hand in mine. "I understand your pain, Maya. And it gets better as life goes on. And I want you to know that I will always be here for you, no matter what."

"Thanks," I said. That was probably the best answer I could summon. It was better than no answer, right?

"You know, I fell in love with you that very first day of I met you. I know it's all of a sudden, but it happened."

"I thought love like that only happened in movies. But when my mother told me about her and dad, I realized that love can happen at any time, when you least expect it, to be exact."

"Everything happens when you least expect it, be it good or bad. Sometimes the bad things happen in order to get good things, other times—the situation is reversed." Our hands somehow intertwined with one another. "Losing Tony and Dana was the bad thing, but it led to a good thing. It led to . . . you and me." He was hesitant to speak the words.

I realized something. Callan cared. He cared about me, and would always be here for me because he understood what I was going through. Tony was gone, now. And despite how hard I tried, he would never be back. I knew that I would never be able to love, like I loved Tony. I could however, love, again. Could I love Callan? Could I trust him enough? Could he be the one, to always hold me and love me, the way I needed to be loved? I looked into his green eyes. I lost myself in them.

I smiled, as did he. "I love you, Maya." He said, sincerely. I believed him, and crushed my lips to his again. Our lips moved in sync with each other. I wanted to stay like this forever. I wanted to be held in his arms forever. I wanted to be his forever.

I pulled away. "I can't—I'm not ready to say those words . . . yet. But I care about you, too, Callan." That seemed to surprise him. A smile slowly crept on to his face. He pulled me tight against his chest, and nuzzled his nose in the crook of my neck. He softly kissed my neck. I moaned, from his soft lips on my skin.

I felt him smile.

And my lips formed the smile that matched his.

Callan drove me home after his mother suggested I eat a healthy meal for the sake my health. The chicken soup she made for me reminded me so much of my mother. I missed her. I missed home. I was homesick. Callan kept on giving me sweet smiles on our way home, and my lips with no consent smiled back. He walked me to my door and gave me a soft, sweet kiss.

When I unlocked the apartment door, I noticed all lights were off. That was weird. Usually Kayla came running out of her bedroom and ran out to hug me. "Kayla! I'm home." Nothing. I walked to her room and it was empty. I looked everywhere and the apartment was all empty. I was alone again. I walked to the kitchen. There was a letter on the counter. It was addressed to me, I mean who else would read it?

I opened it up and Kyle's handwriting was what I saw:

_Dear Maya, _

_Kayla and I were missing home. I miss my Malese. She missed her shinning sun, her California. She wanted to go back home. Maya, I hope the best for you, if you do not decide to come back home. I hope you find that "healing" you came here for. And you know I'll always be waiting for you at home, my sister. _

_-Kyle _

I hugged the letter to me. My family was gone. There was only one thing to do . . .

On my way to the airport, I stopped by Callan's house. I called him beforehand and he was already standing outside his house. He came running to me when he noticed me drive by the curb.

"Maya, is everything alright?"

"Yes, everything is alright."

"Then what's wrong?"

"I'm leaving, Callan. I'm going back to California, back home." He stared at me and I sighed. I took hold of his hand. "Come with me?"

He shook his head, sadly. "I can't, Maya. I already have a life in Spain."

I took a step, nodding. I understand. I wouldn't put up a fight. "Well, I am leaving. Goodbye, Callan." I started walking, half expecting him to follow me.

He never did.

"Goodbye, Maya."

But I was already gone.

_Two Days Later . . . _

I laughed as the wind freely waved my hair as I cruised down Interstate 5 of California. The convertible Camaro I had left behind was still in the same condition I had left it in. The sun shined down on me as the song "When The Song Goes Down" by Kenny Chesney roared from my radio. This was life.

This was how it was to feel free.

This was home.

I punched in the address to our new home on the GPS so I wouldn't get lost. Right now, the GPS was signaling for me to turn right on a gated community of houses. I had a little trouble with the guard at the entrance. After close examination, he finally realized I _was _the daughter of Adrian Ivashkov, the owner of the house.

The house wasn't really hard to find because it was so humongous and my dad's Bentley was parked outside.

Our new home was beautiful, much more beautiful than the last. And it was a beach house! Oh God! Good luck kicking me out of the house, mom and dad! Our new home was a Garden House. It had greenery everywhere. It was beautiful. I looked around. I could admire it later. I had to see my mom and my dad! And my brothers!

I walked up the door and knocked on it. I would have walked right in, but the door was locked.

The door opened.

"Mom?"

I smiled, not feeling homesick anymore at all when I saw the woman's face stretch into a smile.

I was home again.

**There is always something about home that makes you feel **_**right **_**no matter what, right? **

**Take care**

**-Mel **


	52. 16 I Needed You

**Sorry to say this story has two chapters left. Sadness. I enjoyed writing this story so much! I hoped you've enjoyed it as much I as enjoyed writing it. I feel tremendous gratitude towards those of you who read and those of you who review! You're amazing . . . **

**I don't own Vampire Academy . . . **

**(So I skipped Eighteen – Twenty of Maya's life due to my time shortage) **

**Twenty One . . . **

"Ivashkov!" The guy that was in charge of the whole organization as he pointed to that guy that was assigned to do my hair and makeup. He just needed to do retouches. My hair was stylized and my makeup could have been put on no better. The fashion stylist had already dressed me up in designer clothes as I was advertising a new line of clothes for some foreign designer. And after the advertising photo shoot, the family and I would take my family pictures for remembering this special. It was _moi's _twenty-first birthday.

I stared and stared at the reflection in the mirror. The girl—woman—in the mirror looked happy, but she wasn't. My exterior was all a mask, an everyday mask I had to pull on in order to hide all the scars and wounds I had in my interior . . .

"Damn, Troyal! I'm right here!" I said very impatient as I sat down on the chair that was placed right in front of a mirror that had little lights all around. "You shouldn't be yelling at me. My parents did, after all, let you use our estate so that you could do your deranged fashion photo shoot."

"I'm sorry, Ivashkov. Didn't mean to yell at you."

"Troy, you know I was just joking," I said laughing.

He put his hand over his heart. "Oh, God. You had me scared, sweetie. Don't do that, Mayie."

"Wouldn't dare of doing it again, Troyal." I smiled broadly at him and stared at the mirror, thinking about Zara, who got me into this mess. Who knew being a model was this much of a mess. I felt bad for Zara, yet at the same time, I wanted to kill her. Who knew being a model was this much trouble? For one, I couldn't eat meat. Two, I had to work out a lot. Three, the stylist were too careless, and now my hair was a dark blonde. Four, I couldn't eat me. Did I say that already? Well, I'll say it again. Five, I was skinny as twig; I would have rather have my old back, the body where I actually did have some meat on me. And the list could keep on going and going and going . . .

I looked over at my sister who was getting her hair done quietly, without saying anything at all. "Zara, I don't know how you could go through all this hell for fifteen years."

"Been doing it since I was three. I am used to it."

"Well, I've been doing it for three years straight and I already feel like killing myself." I fluffed off my hair, ignoring the hair stylists dark glare. "I am thankful this is my last year."

"I could do this for the rest of my life," she said, sighing happily.

"I could care less." I didn't even have to pause to think over what I wanted to do the rest of my life. "I want to work with the agriculture. Grow flowers. Raise farm animals. I want to be a country girl," I said, sighing happily the same way Zara had sighed.

Zara's response was haltered because they literally pulled her away so that she could complete her part of the photo shoot. More than half an hour later, I was taken away so there wasn't really any time to talk again. I posed in front of a camera sometimes by myself and sometimes with a different model. Most of the day was spent taking photos of the models and after that, my family and I had to take pictures. Since it was my party, I decided we all dress in cowboy/cowgirl clothes. I was wearing a light blue cotton dress and my old brown cowboy boots. Casual clothing was what I wanted for all, not stupid, formal, tight-fitting dresses that made you feel like you couldn't breathe.

It was late when we finished taking pictures, but it was cool. The restaurant we were eating dinner at was mostly for night purposes only, which was exactly why we were going. It was eighteen and over only because a night club was connected to it. If you were under twenty one, you'd get this stamp on your arm. The stamp was only to tell the bartenders not to serve you alcoholic beverages.

"I hope you don't mind," My dad began as we sat down on the tables of the restaurant, "I invited along an old friend and his family to join us."

"No, dad. I don't mind at all." I smiled and sat down right next to Kayla. "After all, you're paying."

My parents had wanted to throw a huge party for me, saying things like "You only turn twenty one once" and "you don't have to worry about anything, we got you covered" but I told them in a couple of weeks. I liked spending my birthday with all my brothers and sisters and mom and dad. That was the best present I could ever receive, seeing all my family together. I smiled around the table, at Cade and his girlfriend Vivian, Zara and her man Tanner, Dante and his pregnant woman Jenica, Kayla and Ryan, a huge smile to Kyle and Malese, a smile in return was what I go. My Dad and Mom stared adoringly at me. I realized, I was the only one that didn't have a partner by my side.

"Adrian!" a man in casual clothing called out in a deep voice. The man was around my Dad's age, but my Dad still beat him in gorgeousness. "Garth!" My Dad stood up and walked over to the man, shaking his hand, while hugging him with the other hand. The woman standing behind him was _very _familiar. Adelina Cohen, Callan's mom.

And behind her . . .

"I brought my son for your daughter to bond with," Garth Cohen said. I saw Dad's eyes tighten a little.

. . . Callan.

_There you go making my heart beat again and again and again . . . _

I felt the blood drain from my body. My face felt heated. The world stopped. I didn't know what to do in that moment. Smile? Laugh? Cry? Run up to him and his arms and fall weekly, letting him catch me, while crying hysterically? No, no. Maya Ivashkov doesn't cry hysterically . . . anymore. I didn't yell at him because I absolutely did not hate him at all. He actually helped me get along through life those few months, some years ago.

His face broke into a smile when he saw me. His grin brought out some feelings that hadn't been present in so long. I stood up from my chair and went to go hug him. Callan held me very close to him as we hugged. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my mom give my dad a warning look. Dad waved off the look, smiling and looking happy for me.

"Callan," I said, feeling my throat dry up as I wanted to cry. "I was stupid for leaving you . . ."

"No, it was stupid of me for letting you go . . ."

The past three years made me realize that Callan was what I needed all along. And that it foolish of me to let him go. I should have stayed with him and made myself happy for the first time in so long, the way I had been Tony before he passed. Callan made me _feel_ again. I was not sure what Callan made me feel but it was something, that was for sure.

"We are in desperate need for a talk, how about we go somewhere else?"

I didn't know whether to say yes or no. I wanted to go with him, but I wanted to stay with my family. "Let's stay here for a while and enjoy my party, and then I'm yours."

Smiling a little deviously, he said, "Don't say that. I may not return you."

I smacked him on the side of head.

I sat down and I wasn't the lonely one anymore. We spent our whole time laughing, reminiscing about when I was younger. The story that caught most of my attention was when Dad told the story of when I was born. He said he'd felt a lot of wonderful feelings in his life, but nothing could quite compare to the day they put his baby girl in his hands for the first time and that he would be very sad when he walked his baby girl down the aisle. I had to wave air in my face to keep my mascara from running because tears fell from my eyes.

Another story was the one Aunt Jade said about the time I had had a sleep over with Kayla and we both started a war of who kissed the boy next door first. I actually remembered the day; Kayla had beaten me. My mother told the story of when she had cooked my favorite food in the whole world, and I had told Zara that she was going to get bumps on her skin, while she bled to death if she ate the food just so that I could eat her food. And my mother said how I used to beat up Dante and Cade, never Kyle, while they slept. After some time of interacting and having a good time with my family, Callan and I sneaked away.

I drove to my house. There was a little guest house in the back that was private and it was near the beach. I took of my boots and I ran down to the beach, letting the hair run through my hair, on my face. The water splashed all over as I ran to the ocean. Callan just stood, hands in pockets, staring at me with something like wonder in his eyes.

I turned my back on the waves for a couple seconds as I turned to look at him. "Come join me in my fun . . ." When he wasn't approaching, I said, "You are no fun."

I shifted my attention back the beautiful ocean, looking at the precious moon setting in. I knew when he was approaching because the waves danced a lot more than before. His arms went around me, holding me close his body. It was such an ardent gesture, but the intention behind the gesture was anything but sweet. He somehow pulled me on the ground, making me fall on top of his body.

I laughed deliriously.

"Don't underestimate my having-fun skills."

I yelled softly when the waves rolled in and wet us. But we stayed there, nonetheless.

As I laid on top of him, his light green eyes, those light green eyes that looked a faint blue in the sunlight, conveyed a message, a message of bliss and love. Words weren't needed to show and express the love we felt, therefore we said nothing.

It had been years that I'd been denying my romance life. I suddenly was craving more than the kiss. "The energy that's burning between us, do you feel it?"

I kissed down his chest as I started to unbutton his shirt. "I want you, Callan."

His head bent towards mine our lips met for a sweet kiss. Suddenly, it wasn't me on top, it was him.

Callan's lips grazed wherever he could find bare skin. "I've always wanted you, Maya. From the very beginning. And now I want you the very end." He poured kisses all over me. "I'm here to make you smile again. You just have to trust me, leave all your fears of loving behind. I'll erase the pain, all your scars, and I'll fill you with love you lack. You don't have to be afraid, Maya. I'll take care of you." He leaned down to kiss me. "I want it to be that awakens those long-forgotten emotions in you. And I'll say anything you expect to hear from me . . ."

Another kiss. "You name it, Maya, and I'll be that . . ."

My lips found themselves glued to his, awakening those feelings he promised to wake, filling my heart with the love I lacked, and erasing that pain I felt . . .

. . . I loved him.

**Love happens so quick, don't you think? It happened to me. But then it kind of faded because of my "best friend." Anyways, again those for reading! And a HUGE Thanks and Hug and a HUGE cookie for those of you who've helped me get my story to 550 reviews! I love you all! **

**Take lots of care**

**-Mel**


	53. 17 It Doesn't Hurt So Much Anymore

It was really hard to sit straight when the groom of the wedding kept staring at you. No, I wasn't getting married. Matt Ozera was getting married today with Melinda Hahn. As we waited for Melinda to come down from where she was getting ready, Matt kept on staring at me. There was half an hour left before the ceremony started. Matt looked really nervous and regret, it seemed. Since he had been my best friend and all, I decided I needed to calm him down.

Callan looked questioningly at me as I stood up. "Just gonna talk to Matt," I said, leaning down, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Hurry back to me, love."

"When don't I?" I left the question hanging in the air as I departed.

I walked up to Matt, noticing how pale he looked. "You nervous?"

Matt had specifically said he wanted me there when he got married, which was why I was here now. He had finally given up on me and was marrying Melinda. I don't know what kept him holding on for so long. When he found out that Callan and I were a thing, he suddenly insisted his wedding be right away. He had postponed for three years, and now, out of the blue, he was getting married, which was better for me because he wouldn't be chasing me anymore.

"I am freaking, Maya."

"Of course you are. Everybody freaks when they get married. Well, except if you _know _you're marrying the right person."

"Then, I don't think I am marrying the right person." His eyes held the double meaning. "I want to call of the wedding."

"You do that to Melinda, and I swear I will never talk to you for the rest of my life."

"But I am not marrying the right person, Maya." He looked longing down the aisle. "It should have been you walking down that aisle, it should have been you marrying me, it should have been you spending the rest of your life with me."

I patted his shoulder. "Maybe you should have thought about that when you were cheating," I said and walked away.

I went back to my gorgeous man. He was still busy talking to Dad! Why the hell he was paying more attention to my dad more than he was paying attention to me!? I sat down for a few seconds again next to him and when I realized I wasn't going to be noticed anytime soon, I stalked off to find Zara. Of course she would be with Tanner. All she ever did was be with Tanner lately. I didn't interrupt her. There was no one talk to except Illiana, who was the new addition to our family. My parents had adored Illiana when I brought her home and had adopted her.

The music started playing and I had to go back to my seat because Melinda was walking down the aisle.

It was during the ceremony that Callan took my hand in his. "I need to ask you something."

"Hmm?"

He looked straight ahead as he asked what he was going to ask.

"Maya Ivashkov. I have and always will love you. Since the very first day I laid my eyes upon you, I knew that I had loved you. You are smart, beautiful, and my little bad ass. I promise to be there for you and to be your protector, and best friend. I love you, Maya. Will you marry me?" I had tears going down my cheeks.

I stared at him as he kept on whispering. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring that matched him in gorgeousness.

"Oh, my God! Callan!" I had to keep myself from yelling because Matt and Melinda were still getting married.

"I love you so much, Maya. Let me be yours, forever. Be the father of your children. I promise I will never hurt you. I will be a loyal husband and father. I will never break you, nor our kids. I will respect all your choices, and wishes. I promise. Will you marry me?" I could tell he was being honest. I loved Callan with all my heart, but was this really the time to ask?

He needed an answer and right away. That's why he had been talking with my father as so, hadn't he?

I stared, shocked, at his gorgeous face and into his beautiful green eyes. _I was dreaming. I was dreaming. Callan didn't say those things for real. _But why was he looking at me expectantly, as if waiting for an answer? His eyes looked at me so intently that I wanted to squirm away, crawl to the closet or something. "Will you, Maya Ivashkov, will you marry me?"

He was holding his breath and if I didn't answer, he was going to have a heart attack. Oh my god! Oh my god! What do I say? Tears flowed down my eyes; I was crying up a storm. I nodded.

He wouldn't take that for an answer. "I want to hear it from your mouth that you marry me."

"Yes, Callan, I do." He slipped the ring on my finger. He took my hand and kissed it. "Thank you, Maya."

"Let's leave . . ." I suggested.

He stood up, pulling me along with him. We ran to our room.

Things got heated right away . . .

He kissed me so hard that my lips hurt after our lips separated. But he wasn't done kissing me. His lips traveled down my neck, his hands going to the bottom of my black thermal shirt. He slipped it off my body. I unbuttoned his dark blue shirt and threw it on the ground.

I ran my hand down his chest till it was inside his pants where the lump was already forming. He moaned when my hands touched the lump. I unbuckled his jeans and pulled them down. He unhooked my braw and threw it on the ground. His lips went to my chest.

His hands snaked down, down to my jeans. He unbuckled them and tossed them aside. He lifted me and set me on the bed. "I love you," he muttered, taking off my jeans. He pulled away to look at me naked, in the bed. I felt a little nervous. I had never been naked in front of anyone except for Matt. Except maybe Lissa. He smiled suddenly. Making me feel warm all over my body. He kissed my collar bone.

I moaned in pleasure, enjoying his soft lips against my warm skin. It made me shiver, from the physical contact. And just the feel of Callan would make anyone shiver. "Callan. . ." There was something I needed to tell him to do, but his lips were distracting me from remembering that thought.

"Hmm?" His lips traveled down further, and stopped at the waist band of my underwear. He looked up, possibly asking for permission. His green eyes shining with lust and burning desire. I nodded, and smiled. I wanted him very badly by now. He pulled my underwear off, and kissed my sensitive area.

I moaned in want, need, and pleasure. I needed him. I bucked my hips, and he chuckled. He came to look levelly into my eyes. Then kissed me with so much love, and want. "I need you Callan. I need you now." I murmured, against his mouth. He smiled, and plunged himself in me gently. As he thrust in and out, my hands gripped and curled around the sheet because of the intense pleasure he was making me feel.

I moaned in pleasure as we made love for the first time. No one has made me feel like this at all. Not even Tony, could make me this happy. I now had a fiancé' that cared for me and loved me. I was as happy as I could ever be.

When me and Callan were both finished, we laid, embraced in each other's arms for the rest of the night. "I love you, Maya. Thank you for agreeing to marry me. Or at least agreeing to Marrying me." He said and kissed the tip of my nose.

"I love you, too, Callan. So much. I wouldn't want to spend the rest of my life with someone else. I would rather it be you." I said. He looked touched.

He pulled me tighter to him, and kissed me. It was hard, and passionate. He took control of my body. We ended up making love for the second time tonight. I was glad someone really cared and I couldn't wait to marry Callan . . .

**The Wedding**

I peeked out the window as the guest sat in their chairs where the ceremony would take place. As the minutes ticked by, each getting closer to the final time, my anxiety grew. I was marrying the most amazing person today . . . my Callan. I felt a hand on my shoulder and I calmed down a bit. Kayla's soothing self was always something I could rely on, no matter the situation.

I turned back around and saw my reflection in the mirror. My wedding dress was chosen by Zara, Kayla, and me. It was hard dealing with two other opinions at one time, but when I saw this dress, I'd knew this was The One. The sweetheart neckline made the bodice looked heart-shaped, a little flower of for decoration was set under the bust line, and the drop waist flared out in a ruffled train that hid my satin pumps. My hair was pulled back, forming a low, elegant bun on the back of my head, while a diamond barrette adorned the side of my head. A long, cathedral veil with lace finished my outfit. I had wanted to wear my mother's wedding dress, but so did Zara and in the end I had decided she wear it because I wouldn't be able to fit into Mom's dress with me being pregnant and all.

"Relax. Calm." Kayla said, as she massaged my back to relax my tense muscles. "You're marrying Callan. You should not be nervous; you should be happy."

I closed my eyes and tried my breathing exercises.

"It's not good for our baby's health to get nervous," Kayla said as she ran her hand over her barely visible baby bump.

I put a hand over my belly. Callan and I had found out the wonderful news that we were expecting just a few weeks after Kayla and her husband Ryan (they'd just gotten married when a month later they had conceived). She was now about three months; I was just around two and half weeks.

The momentary distraction wasn't enough to take all my worries away. Just as I was about peek out the curtain again, Kayla caught my hand. "Don't," she warned. "You can wait five more minutes." A sense of nausea passed over me. I felt myself pale. "Seriously, Maya. Wait after you get married to pass out." She frantically started waving air in my face.

When I didn't feel like passing out, I spoke up. "I'm not going to pass out."

"You look like it."

"But I don't feel like it."

"Was I like this when I got married? I don't remember freaking out so much."

"Kayla, you were ten times worse. You almost fainted while walking down the aisle. If not for your dad, you would have fallen flat on your face."

Her eyes gleamed. "I still remember that day like it was yesterday. Life's goes on too fast." Her eyes filled with tears. "Remember when we used to make mud pies and we used to make Kyle eat them?"

My eyes filled with tears as well. "God, Kayla. Don't make me cry. It will take me hours to stop crying with all these hormones and all."

"Maya," she said and walked over to me, putting her arms around me. "Oh, Maya, how the time passes."

"Ready, sweetheart?" My dad said, walking into the room. The door had been ajar so probably he had heard and seen me crying. He came over and wiped some tears with his hands. "No need to cry today, sweetheart. You're getting married."

"I know, Dad. Blame Kayla."

"Honey, we have to go downstairs already."

"Already?" He nodded.

"Are you ready?"

"Now, I am."

Kayla handed me my bouquet as she grabbed her maid of honor bouquet.

"Before we go, I want to tell a few words." I nodded, encouraging him to continue. "Live your life at its fullest, Maya, because it doesn't last, the time on this Earth is not enough to enjoy the wonders and miracles of life. You got out and live!"

I so did not want to cry again. But I did. Only a few tears, though. I threw my arms around my dad. "Thanks, Dad!"

We hugged once more and started walking downstairs. My wedding was taking place at the estate Dad had purchased a long time ago. I had opted for an outdoor wedding because getting married outside was something I had always dreamed of ever since I was smaller. Special floors were placed on the ground so that my heels wouldn't get stuck on the ground as I walked. The ceremony would be taking place under trees, with flowers of millions of colors surround the area. It was beautiful.

The orchestra that my wedding planner had hired was playing some slow song as I walked down the aisle. I would have been happy with my favorite country song at the moment, which was "All Over Me" by Josh Turner. But a wedding was supposed to be sophisticated, according to my wedding planner.

I looked up to meet Callan's eyes as I walked down the aisle with my father by my side. He smiled and of course I had to smile back. The photographer snapped pictures of me. Callan looked gorgeous in a gray suit, and instantly my heart sped. There was a flutter in my stomach as our baby moved around. I was one of those rare, lucky mothers that had the opportunity to feel her baby move just a month after conception.

Finally, my walk ended and my sexy future-to-be husband held out his hand for me. I put my hand on his and the priest started talking. Callan and I said our "I do's" and then we said our vows which were nothing extravagant. The vows were the simple vows most everyone says at their wedding. Callan gave me a new ring and it was beautiful. It was the one I had picked out so long ago, that I had even forgotten that it existed. It was a princess cute, with two emerald cuts on the side. The priest gave us his blessing and pronounced us married.

Callan turned to me, smiling hugely, and kissing me quite drastically.

At last, we were husband and wife.

Kayla came to hug me first and then all of a sudden everyone was hugging me. Mom, Dad, Kyle, Malese, Tanner, Zara, Dante, Melinda, Matt . . . everyone it seemed. After the hugging and the celebrating, we walked to a garden where the cocktail hour was taking place. The garden was beautiful, filled with greenery, a pond, and lots of colorful flowers. Callan and I talked to most everyone and we he kept on telling everyone the news that we were going to be parents soon and that they were going to be aunties and uncles or grandparents.

After that, we walked over to the reception. It was going to be under a tent made of veil coverings. Music played softly as we sat down for dinner. The reception scenery had changed now that it was dark. The whole reception was lit up by a million candles. And it looked beautiful, like the candles were the stars that shined down at us. Callan and I cut the cake, which was an awesome cake. It was five-tier cake, covered in cream fondant, it had flowers all over and it matched my outdoor wedding theme. Spanish moss and Manzanita branches decorated the table the cake was on and little candles were placed all around to make it stand out more. And boy was it delicious! I ate two pieces; one for me and one for the baby. As soon as the cake was cut, the bouquet and garter were thrown, Callan pulled me along for our first dance which was going to be danced to "It's Your Love" by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill (the cutest country couple aside from Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood).

"Shall we dance?" I nodded. "Dance we shall."

"This is the best day of my life. You've made this the best day of my life, Maya, and the happiest." He leaned down and kissed me.

"You've made me happy, too, baby. But you made me happier when you gave me this little miracle that's growing inside me."

We continued to dance slowly, letting the lyrics of the song wrap around us, like only two loves would dance in the dark that was lit only by candles.

"I love you," I said, leaning over to kiss him.

He kissed me back and smiled. "Maya, I love you more."


	54. 18 To Make You Feel My Love

**Well, here it is. The last chapter. Sadness. I never wanted to finish this story. I fell in love with this. I'll post the pictures for this story either today or tomorrow and I'll have the links on my profile. The song that is mentioned in this chapter is really beautiful. You should go check it out. Longer A/N as the bottom, but I hope you enjoy the last chapter . . . **

**I don't own Vampire Academy . . . **

**Six Years Later**

I searched around the bed, feeling the sheets and realizing there was a body there. I peeked open my eyes and noticed, my son Bentley—second child that was now three years old—was still sleeping. A thunderstorm could hit and I could guarantee you this boy would still be sleeping. He got his sleeping abilities from his dad. Well, everything about Bentley, he had inherited from his dad. The ash-blonde hair, the green eyes that flashed blue at times, and the one million dollar smile. I just hoped this boy would inherit the brains of his daddy as well.

I leaned down to kiss his forehead as I went to the bathroom to ready myself for the rest of the day. It was when I was inside the closet randomly searching for clothes that I felt nauseous that I got most every morning. I was three days late. I'd been three days late before. And it was when I'd been pregnant with Bentley and Tyler.

I was shaking as I walked in the bathroom. I so did not want another baby right now. I didn't want another baby . . . ever! Callan and I had decided that the two boys we had were enough. Yes, they were good boys, alone, but when they teamed up . . . it was hell. But I loved my boys to death.

Callan had graduated to become a surgeon, but was still going to school to get better and learn the new things. He wasn't around the house a lot, but when he was, we spent those days as a family should. We would go fishing. We'd watch movies. We'd do anything an average family would do. I, however, was in the process of opening my own flower shop. It was my dream and I didn't see any reason in not pursuing it.

I walked inside the bathroom, reaching inside the cabinets to pull out that scary stick that was a pregnancy test. These tests gave instant results. Three minutes later, I found out I _was _pregnant. I stalked off into the kitchen, taking my now-awake son with me. I kissed my other boy, Tyler, on the forehead and I walked over to Callan and kissed him tenderly on the lips.

"Good morning, dear." I said a little too cheery.

"Great morning, sweetheart." He said a little naughty. "Last night was amazing."

"Of course it was. You say that every morning, don't you have something else to say?"

He stared at me for a couple of seconds. "You were an animal last night."

I had a coughing/laughing fit. Callan rolled his eyes and came up behind me and put his arms around me. "Look, Maya," he said turning us so that we were admiring our two sons having fun at the breakfast table. They looked very happy. "Don't you see how happy our kids are?"

"Yes."

"See? We are capable of giving any child the love the child needs and the home they need. We can handle another baby."

"I guess we could," I said.

"Mama! Daddy!" Our youngest son Bentley came up to us, running from the breakfast table.

Callan lifted him up in his arms. "What's wrong, baby?"

"Tyler and I want to go down to the beach."

"And do what?"

"Play . . ."

"Okay, but we have to cook mommy breakfast first." Callan put a hand on my stomach. "Your baby brother or sister is growing inside here."

"I don't want a baby brother! I want a baby sister!"

"Well," Callan said as he walked to the kitchen to cook me breakfast. "If a baby sister doesn't come out, mommy and I can try again."

"Uh, your daddy is crazy, Bentley. No more kids after this one."

"I'll convince you for one more, Maya."

"No, you can't."

"Obviously this is getting nowhere. A compromise is defiantly needed." He paused to think. "If it's a boy, we try right away for the next. Okay?"

He held my gaze challengingly. I never backed down. "Okay." He smiled like he had just won a million dollars. "And if it's a girl, you're getting a vasectomy." The smile faded. And he actually paled.

It was me who held his gaze challengingly now.

After three years, it seemed, he said, "Okay."

We would have to see who won this bet . . .

**Eight Months Later**

I wiped the thick sweat off my face. Why was the room so hot all of a sudden? Callan ran his fingers lightly over my forehead, where small amounts of sweat were dripping. His cool fingers wiped some of the sweat off but it wasn't helping so much. And the medications hadn't kicked in yet either so nothing was helping with the bad contractions I was experiencing just so that I could get myself to dilate.

I put a hand to my forehead to cover his hand. "Why is it so hot?" I asked, throwing the covers off me. That helped a lot. The room couldn't be cold, so the nurses had adjusted the air in the room to moderate, but I was dying. The cool wind the fan was producing did help me. It took away some of the nausea too.

Callan leaned down and kissed my lips very softly. "I don't think so." He said, taking my lips and molded them with his own. He lay his cool hand on top of my face but carefully, since it hurt my stomach if he did a wrong move. With his touch, I knew that he loved me just like I loved him, with every part of our beings. I wasn't really feeling the love in this moment because of the damn pain I was going through!

I was quiet as he kissed his way down to my belly, where he lifted my shirt and talked to my stomach. A baby bump was so obvious. It should have been, since I was carrying baby twins. "How are my little boys doing?" Callan talked to my belly as if it were a real live person.

I giggled, despite my pain. "Boys?"

He looked up from my stomach and looked into my eyes. "Yes, boys."

"Why boys? Girls are so much better, I hear." Callan and I had wanted the gender of the twins to be kept a secret since we wanted to be surprised. I had been disappointed when I was pregnant with my other kids because they technicians had told me I was having boys when I desperately wanted a girl like Kayla had.

He kissed my stomach once more an. An instant later, there was a knock on the door. I scanned the door to see who it was; I was grateful when I noticed it was the nurse that was put in charge to look after me. She was coming in every half hour now ever since she had injected that epidural in my spine.

"Eight centimeters dilated. I'll go tell the doctor to get ready."

I was relieved but at the same time I was anxious, each second led me closer to the labor. And this time I would have to push out two babies. Callan and I had wanted a natural birth instead of a C-section. I rubbed my stomach. The contractions were only a minute apart now. Pretty soon they would fifteen seconds apart.

Twenty minutes later, I was yelling at Callan, screaming at him to bring the doctor because the urge to push was horrible. I couldn't move a lot because that could cause the babies to change positions in the womb. What I hated most was that the nurses didn't let you push when you wanted to push. I had this urge to just throw one of the nurses out the window.

Finally, the doctor shooed some of the nurses and only left one faithful nurse by my side. She helped me push and breathe. The doctor said to push whenever I wanted. I loved how he was so patient. He worked with _you, _rather than vice-versa. Callan kept on encouraging me and telling me how good I was doing.

And then . . .

The first baby was born at 2:23 A.M. "It's a girl," the doctor said, holding her up for me to see. I couldn't focus on my baby right now; I had another baby to push out. She had good lungs that was for sure. They wiped her off as soon as she came out of the womb and started checking her.

Three minutes later, at 2:25 A.M., my other baby was born. "Another girl," the doctor said and held her up again for me to see. As soon as the twins were checked, they put them on my chest for me to admire. It was the best feeling in the world. They were tiny, though, which was to be expected since they were twins. I had been lucky to carry to full term, though.

I handed both of them off to Callan and he cried. Watching the tears pour down his face made me cry as well. It was a wonder how two small little bundles of joy could make your life so perfect.

"They girls are beautiful, Maya." He said as he looked down at the babies with wonder.

"I know. They just made our life perfect."

In the end, the first baby was named Kimberlee Claire and the second baby was named Nicole Rose-Anne. After I was cleaned off, Ty and Bentley were let in. They loved their baby sisters. Callan let Tyler hold Nicole tenderly. I had to cry because the sight was so beautiful. And then Bentley came up to me.

"Mama, you did a good job. I love you for giving me the best present for my up-coming birthday." He threw his little arms around me and I just had to cry again. "Mama, don't cry. You know I love you."

"I know, baby. You just make me so happy."

"_You _make _us _so happy, mom." Tyler put in.

"Yes, you do, my love." Callan said as he leaned down to kiss me.

There was absolutely nothing in this world that could make me happier than my family complete and happy. . .

**Three Years later**

I walked the halls of my new house, feeling a little sad I saw the pictures of my babies. The photos that hung on the hall were aligned from the day where Callan and I got married to now. The first picture was a picture of me and Callan the day we got married, his hand on my belly and my hands on top. The second picture was of Callan and me and our first son Tyler. The second picture had Callan, Tyler, and a pregnant me. The third picture was of Callan, Tyler, Bentley, and me. Another picture with the four of us with the new family dog.

After that was a picture of the six of us, Callan, Tyler, Bentley, Kim, Nicole, and me. And the most recent picture had all of us and the newest additions to the Cohen-Ivashkov family: Nacho and Snooki, the newest family dogs. Nacho and Snooki Shih Tzu dogs, born on the same day. And both had been given to Nicole and Kim for the third birthday party from my parents.

Oh, those memories. As the time passed, and my babies got older, the memories were much more precious then they seemed at first.

Kayla had planned a birthday for me because today was my thirtieth birthday. I told her I didn't want one. And since she was so stubborn, she went right on ahead on planning a party. She said she was returning the favor because her birthday had been a couple months before and I had surprised _her _with a party for her thirty years of living. Damn, I was old. My dad told me that once I got to his age, thirty wouldn't seem so old anymore.

I assessed myself in the mirror again. The pink dress I was wearing was a dress that Zara had picked out for me because she was the one who had the best fashion style in this family. It was a one-shouldered, sweetheart neckline dress that flowed all the way to my feet. My hair was pulled up into a messy, yet stylish bun. Even at thirty, I still looked somewhat good.

I finally walked out the patio where the party was taking place. Everyone sang out a chorus of "Happy Birthday" as soon I as stepped out of the door. My mom was first to hug me and then my daddy and after my husband wrapped his arms around me very tightly.

"Do I look good?" I asked, feeling self-conscious because everyone in the party was so well-dressed.

"Maya, do I really need to answer that? You look beautiful, darling. Like always."

"Thank you, baby." I leaned over and kissed him.

My boys and girls came running up to me. Tyler who was now nine years old, hugged me tightly. He looked like me. Black hair, tan skin. He had brown eyes, which made him look so much like my brother Kyle. Bentley was the mirror image of Callan. A dark, dark shade of blonde for his hair, green-blue eyes, and the same charm Callan had. Nicole looked like my side of the family. She had light brown hair, dark green eyes, and my mother's attitude. Kim looked like Callan's side of the family. She had ash-blonde hair, soft green eyes like Callan's, and the same attitude Callan had. Kim was always making people laugh. Both of my daughters had everyone wrapped around their little fingers, but the person they had wrapped most, was their daddy.

The day was spent reminiscing about the good times, those good times back when we were young. Everyone was there. Everyone meaning, my whole family, Kayla and her family, Matt and his family . . . everyone that had been important in my life in the earlier years was here. The parents of us went of to their own table and they were lost in their own little world.

Kayla, Dante, Kyle, Cade, Zara, Matt, and their spouses were in our own little table. We talked about those good times and we had fun and laughed a lot and we shared some good news all around. Callan took my hand in his and kissed it. I started to think about my life and the people in it, especially my brothers and sisters.

Dante fathered three kids, but wasn't really looking for a relationship because his career of being a guardian was too important. Don't get me wrong, he loved his kids to death. And plus the whore he had had the kids with, she wasn't really interested in Dante. She was also Tony's sister.

Cade had pursued his career of being a soccer player and he was now signing a contract with a major league. He had recently married Sydney's—one of my mom's old friends and Aunt Jade's sister-in-law—daughter, Vivian. They had a son that was born a year after my twin girls.

Kyle married Malese, those two from the beginning were inseparable. They'd gotten married a few months after I had gotten married. Kyle and Malese were parents of twins, except their twins were boy and girl. He named his daughter that looked so much like him, after me and Mom. Maya Rose. Kyle had named his son after himself and Dad. Kyle Adrian. He, like Cade, was a professional soccer player, playing for the best league in the USA.

My sweet sister who was just a few years younger than I was, Zara had been the best success in the family. She was loved and worshiped all last year. She had won the Miss America title last year. We had all been proud of her. She retired from pageantry after she was Miss America and she now wanted to focus on her life. Zara told me one night a couple of weeks ago, that she and Tanner had gone to a little trip and had brought back a "homemade souvenir." I had looked at her with a blank look until she finally explained. She was pregnant. And Tanner had proposed to her. They were getting married in a couple of months.

Mom and Dad had retired from everything, and were planning to travel the world in the upcoming year. I was happy for them. They needed that after all this time dealing with us, their kids. Finally they would have time alone for themselves. They had done their part in teaching us everything life had taught them and now it was our turn to teach our kids the same things. I didn't want to think about the future right now. I didn't want my babies to leave the house. Ever. But they had to, just like I did, just like we, my brothers and I, did.

"Let's dance!" Kayla yelled going over to her husband and they started dancing. It was a slow song. Callan and I started dancing to the sweet song that was called "Sunshine" by Steve Azar.

Callan started singing the words to me. "'Cause Maya you're my sunshine. Baby, your my sunshine.'"

"Your horrible singing skills haven't improved after all this time," I said, laughing, but taken over by the look he was giving me, a look that was filled with love and pure desire for me.

"What are you staring at me, my love?"

"Your blinding beauty. You're as beautiful as the sun at dawn. You're as beautiful as the moon in the nighttime sky. Your eyes are as pretty as stars that shine in the night." He leaned down and kissed me. "Maya, you're beautiful."

"Callan, you're so wonderful."

He turned me in his arms and kissed me. "I love you, baby."

"Somehow, I love you more." I smiled, feeling much happier than I had felt in so long, feeling _a lot_ _better_ than I had felt in so long. Love was a strong feeling and sometimes, it healed you. It turned you into someone completely different . . .

I didn't know what would become of me in the near years, but anything was possible as long as I had my husband, my soul-mate, lover of life, forever by my side like I had him right this moment . . .

***wipes tears away* My last FF. Wow. I can't believe it. What can I say? Or where do I start? Thank you! You are probably tired of those words being said by me but I really enjoyed my time here on FF thanks to you readers that made everything so wonderful! The reviews, everything was amazing! With your help, I go the opportunity to read and reply to almost 2000 reviews! AMAZING! I thank you all for that! **

**I just realized that three days ago marked my first year of fanfiction. The year was awesome. I loved writing and I certainly am going to miss writing every night and thinking of these weird pathetic Adrian/Rose ideas that became into stories that were all sucky but somehow you guys liked. I remember when there used to be only used to be like one full page and a half of Adrian/Rose stories..and after people started reading my SH…I remember there were new stories and until the Adrian/Rose stories went up to like 227 stories. Thanks to me, right? Haha, not. Now, tell me. From all my stories…which has been your favorite? Which Adrian/Rose story is your favorite? Tell me the title of the story, tell me why you liked it, and tell me your favorite part? **

**Anyways, if you want to keep in contact with me, my email is on my profile page right here on FF…email me anytime you want. I'll answer no matter what. :) Or PM me anytime you want. I'll answer. Umm…can't think of anything else to say except thank you for all your support and wonderful reviews! Aww… I am feeling very sad at the moment. Hugs to all. Kisses to all. *Cyber hugs and kisses everyone* Love you guys! Take care of yourselves and hopefully when I have internet access again, you'll still be here.**

**Take lots of care and don't forget my stories and I won't ever forget you :(**

***cries* **

**-Sexybitch007 (aww, I remember that)**

**-Rose Melissa Ivashkov **


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